Timely Return
by adromir
Summary: After attending a meeting in Minas Tirith, Legolas can't wait to get home. But in the middle of the way, a pack of marauders block his path and intend to rob him!
1. Default Chapter

**Summary :**** Another sequel to the Manyan Series! After attending a meeting in Minas Tirith, Legolas can't wait to get home. But in the middle of the way, a pack of marauders block his path and intend to rob him!**

**Well met, my friends! Here I am, returning once more to this board! I have a new story for you, and it's a post-LOTR. It takes place 10 years after the War of the Ring, and many things have happened during that time. This story is one of them.**

**#################################################**

A series of lightning cracked over his head. Several seconds later, thunder boomed and shook the earth.

Biting down some curses, the lone rider worked to control his skittish mount. Leaning forward, he murmured soothing words to the black stallion in elvish, promising the handsome beast a warm stable and lots of feed as soon as they got home. Reassured, the horse calmed down and resumed to plod along the muddy trail.

The rain that started an hour ago was still falling heavily, and not showing any sign of lessening. The golden haired elf sighed heavily as he tugged his damp cloak closer to his body, more for protection against the harsh wind than for warmth. He had pulled the cowl of his cloak over his head to shield his eyes from the rain, but it was a small comfort for he was already soaked to the skin.

"I should have stayed in Minas Tirith one more day, like Estel told me to," Prince Legolas Thranduilion miserably muttered to himself, already regretting his impatience to return to Southern Ithilien, the keep and small realm under his governance. "Ai! If he caught me like this, that human will put me in his jail and throw away the key!"

It was actually not far from the truth. Aragorn had suggested—no, firmly _commanded_ the prince to spend another night in the citadel. "Look at the sky. It's going to rain," the king of Gondor had said, his blue eyes sharp as he watched his elven friend prepared his mount. "You are only going to get trap in a rainstorm from the look of those big black clouds."

To the man's absolute exasperation, Legolas had refused. "Sorry. No can do. Besides, I love rainstorms," the elf responded with a grin.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Aragorn said with a roll of his eyes. "Seriously, Legolas. Stay. Let the storm pass. Your home is not going anywhere."

"Yes, but Nara will fret if I linger here. She might think that I have found a Gondor maiden who is more beautiful than her," Legolas said with a shrug.

Aragorn was puzzled. "Why would she think that way? Your wife is incredibly lovely! No woman can surpass her beauty."

"Trust me, I've noticed that." Legolas gave his friend a droll look. "But have you seen the way she looks these days? She is literally glowing, pregnant with our first child, looking more radiant each day. But she keeps comparing herself to an oliphaunt, thinking that she is not beautiful anymore now that her swollen belly is blocking the view of her feet!"

Aragorn chuckled. "I understand what you mean. Arwen was not so different during her first pregnancy either. It is first-time mothers' nerves, most likely. Don't worry, it will pass."

With a wan smile, Legolas nodded. "You are right. But you know what? I like this new Narasene even better. She becomes more possessive and…Ehem!...More _demanding_, if you got my meaning. She just can't get enough of me."

At that, the two friends exchanged knowing grins before slapping each other's back with a guffaw.

"Obviously, the elixir I made for you works wonderfully, hmm?" Aragorn asked, his brows wiggling.

Blushing slightly, Legolas grinned wider. "_Oh, yes_."

Legolas smiled as he recalled the exchange he had had with his friend that morning. Yes, he just couldn't wait to get home to his wife. He knew Narasene was missing him greatly. She had been reluctant to let him go to Minas Tirith in the first place. He still remembered the distress on her face on the day of his departure several days ago.

"Why must you go?" she had said. "Somebody else can attend the meeting in your place. Beregund, your first in command, surely can."

"I know, love," Legolas had responded. "But I need to see Estel. It has been months since I last saw him. Besides, I miss Eldarion and his little sisters. I'll be back as soon as the meeting is over."

And so it was. He was returning home as promptly as possible, just like he had promised. Much to Aragorn's displeasure, though, he rode on ahead without his escorts.  He had left them behind in Minas Tirith, ordering the warriors to wait for the passing of the rainstorm. He didn't want them to suffer the discomfort of the journey just because he had a wild longing for his wife. Besides, his escorts would only drag his pace. He would rather blaze freely across the meadows and hills of Gondor all by himself, without worrying about the constricting presence of his entourage.

But now he was having a second thought. _Perhaps I should have stayed_, he told himself. _I'm not going any faster in this weather. But what's done is done. There's no use turning back when I am already halfway home. Let's see if this rain will…Ai! What the blazes is this?!_

Because of the heavy rain, Legolas was late to see several dark shapes standing in the middle of the trail. The prince quickly reined in his mount with a curse, a mere second before he could trample all over them. He wiped the rainwater off his lashes and squinted, trying to discern the figures.

Before he could speak though, one of the figures shouted, "Halt!"

Legolas blinked and tried not to laugh. "Isn't it obvious? I've already stopped."

There was a short silence, followed by a string of excited murmurings between those figures. Legolas looked closer, cocking his ears. He was surprised at what he discovered next. The figures were not tall or strong enough to be called a pack of marauders, even though they looked deadly enough with their crossbows and arrows, aiming straight at him.

"Why, you are just children!" Legolas exclaimed in shock.

The group froze and stared back at him. One of them, the tallest of the boys, walked forward, his face angry. "We are not children!" he growled. "And _you_, are trespassing!"

Legolas blinked. _Trespassing? What the heck is this boy talking about?_

"As far as I recall, this land belongs to the King of Gondor," Legolas said, sounding quite amused. "And this trail is free for his people and alliances to use. If you do not know that, than I believe it is _you_ who are trespassing. So heed my advice. You shouldn't be out in this rain. You will only get sick. Go home, all of you."

The tallest boy grew angrier. "Don't patronize me!" he yelled. "You have ventured into our territory and you must pay us!"

The prince raised his eyebrows. "_Pay you?_ Pay you what?"

"Taxes, you idiot! We know how rich you are just by looking at your great stallion. So hand us your money, your jewelry, and anything of value. Then we will let you go," the boy ordered, aiming his arrow at the prince.

Legolas stared at the boy in silence. He just couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The tallest boy had been the spokesman for the entire group, while his friends looked on with anticipation and nervousness. There were five boys in all, and the oldest didn't look more than sixteen summers. Legolas felt slightly uneasy at this situation. Not for himself, but for these young humans who obviously didn't know what they were doing.

"Boy, put that bow down," Legolas said in placating manner. "You don't know whom you are speaking to, and you certainly have never done this sort of thing before."

"But we have seen our fathers do this a hundred times! We know what we are doing so shut up! Now hand to us your valuables before we kill you!"

Legolas sighed. "Well, that might be a problem because, you see, I bring no valuables with me. I have no money, no jewelry—nothing of value to trade my life with."

One of the other boys anxiously turned to the leader. "Traius, you never said about killing him."

"Shut up, Gaius!" Traius glared at the younger boy before facing Legolas once more. "Fine, then. Your beautiful stallion will do."

Legolas held his chin and pretended to ponder. "Hmm. I think that will be a problem too. This horse is elven bred, and he will never let a human be his master."

Traius and the boys looked closely at the mysterious rider, trying to discern his features through the heavy cowl of his dark green cloak. Making it easier for them, Legolas pushed the hood off his head, exposing his fair face for the boys to see.

Simultaneously, they gasped in surprise and took a step back. "You are an elf!"

Only Traius remained where he stood, and he glared at his companions. "Stay where you are! Don't let him scare you!"

"But, Traius, he is an _elf_!"

"A lone elf, while there are five of us. He can do nothing, not as long as our bows are aimed at his heart!"

Legolas was frowning. "Look, kid. You are only making a fool out of yourself. See this?"

"What?" Traius asked, trying to comprehend.

One minute, Legolas was weaponless. But then, in a blink of an eye, Traius found himself staring at the tip of Legolas' arrow, pointing straight at his face. The boy didn't even see it when Legolas grabbed the long bow from his back and notched the arrow in one fluid move.

"You were saying?" Legolas said, his head tilted to one side. "Put down your weapons and let me pass. I would hate to harm you, but I can also make this arrow your new earring if you ask for it. So what say you?"

Gaping, the other boys quickly threw their bows to the ground. They looked terrified. Traius, meanwhile, looked like he was steaming through his ears. But the boy finally dropped his weapon.

"Good." Legolas nodded, lowering his bow. "Now step out of my way. That's it. Be a good young man, Traius, and gather your friends. Go home before either of you catch your death chill out here.  I can't believe your parents let you all out in this rain."

At that, Legolas nudged his mount forward as the boys parted to let him go through. They just stood there in the drizzling rain, gawking at him, completely awed to finally meet face to face with one of the most legendary creatures on Middle-earth.

But Legolas should have known that the matter would not end there.

The elf didn't see it when Traius silently reached down to pull a dagger out of his boot. Then, with a quick flick of his wrist, the boy hurled the blade, aiming for Legolas' back.****

**TBC…**

**Oops. Cliffie. He! He!**

**P/s : I won't be updating as often as usual due to my heavy workload in the office right now. But I'll try my best not to keep you all hanging for long, so stay tune!**


	2. 2

**Sailor Elf : Yeah. Get ready with your weapon, mellon! Ooh…I'm _so_ scared. **

**beginning end 314 : Winter pomegranate? LOL! **

**HissoriOokami :**** Their fathers _will_ come into the picture, so follow your own advice; be patient. I know I'm not a patient writer. You might see the said fathers sooner than you expected, so be ready for Leggy's angst!**

**Kayo :**** I'm so happy for you! It's wonderful to be in love! Trust me, I know. Been there, done that. Anyway, this story is loaded with angst, so I believe I won't disappoint you. Leggy _will_ suffer.**

**Dur En Thurin Naur : My workload is getting heavier instead of lightening but keep on praying for me, will you?**

**Joee1 :**** You and me both. I lost count on how many times I've knocked Leggy upside his head for his stupidity and his err…whatever. He never learns, does he?**

**ScottyBaby :**** It's coming, baby! But I so love to see you all hanging there! Can I do it again?**

**Irish Anor : Oh, I'm so sorry for being so cruel to all the readers. Please, accept my apology, and I will give you more annoying cliffies in future. LOL! **

**TaniaNZ :**** Lots of great ideas? Well, it's all my muse doing. My muse is on hormones overload and I have to help him neutralized it. Hence, came the stories. **

**Mellaithwen :**** You are going to visit all those LOTR sites in NZ? Cool! I think I'm turning green with jealousy. Please, do me a favor; Go to a tree in the Lothlorien forest and carve there 'Adromir Was Here!'**

**Pheraearwen :**** I left it out? Oh, yes! I did! Thank you for pointing that out. I'll go update my biopage immediately!**

**Aranel of Mirkwood : I know you would hate the cliffie, that's why I put it there! Ha! Ha! (I'm still in 'Kimi's-car-didn't-blow-up' mood)**

**szhismine :**** A clone of me, you say? Make sure she does all my work! Tell her to ask for a raise too!**

**Legolas Greenleaf : If you have grey hair already, I suggest you ask for a bottle of henna dye from Leggy. He hides it in his closet so his dad won't turn his hair red again.**

**AbbiCat14 :**** THANK YOU! Yes, Leggy's going to be a daddy and part of it comes from your suggestion, but I'm sorry I can't fully take your entire idea because I have mapped a different fate for Leggy. And he's going to be _very_ pissed at me.  You'll see.**

**Karina :**** Oh, I would love to vote for you! I'm going to the site right away!**

**################################################################**

Legolas' sense of danger screamed its warning when he heard the whistling sound of the flying dagger. He instantly reacted mere seconds before the blade could strike his back. Moving instinctively, Legolas twisted in his seat and brought up his bow, using the strong piece of wood to knock the blade away in one angry move.

The dagger flew back towards the boys from the powerful force. Legolas could only watch in dismay when the blade struck one of them.

"Gaius!" Traius cried out when the youngest boy crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony. The dagger had hit him in his left arm.

Legolas blanched. _Oh no…_

The elf quickly dismounted and ran back towards the group. He knelt beside the injured boy, ignoring the look of pure hatred that Traius was sending his way.

"Look what you did to my brother!" Traius yelled. "Are you trying to kill him?"

His silver eyes flashing dangerously, Legolas snapped his gaze at the angry boy. "What a fine statement coming from you when it was _your_ blade that struck him."

With a snarl, Traius raised his fist to punch the elf, but Legolas simply placed a hand on the boy's chest and pushed him away. "Give room. Let me see to your brother."

Turning his attention back to the wounded boy, Legolas softened his gaze. "What is your name? Gaius, isn't it?"

Gaius slowly nodded, heavy tears flowing down his cheeks. His left arm, where the dagger was buried halfway to its hilt, was bleeding profusely. The boy looked like he was in so much pain that Legolas regretted acting so impulsively.

_What? And let the blade strike you in the back instead?_ he berated himself.

Shaking himself off that thought, Legolas carefully worked to pull out the dagger while the rest of the boys looked on in apprehension and fear. With every gasp and cry of pain that Gaius uttered during the entire procedure, Legolas felt something break in his heart. _Valar__! He is just a child!_

The moment he pulled the blade free, more blood poured out of the wound, causing Gaius to grow even paler. Legolas quickly tore his own sleeve and firmly bound the strip of cloth over the injury, all the while completely aware of Traius' glare against the back of his head.

Legolas took off his cloak and wrapped it around Gaius whose cries of pain had reduced to soft whimpers. Holding the boy in one arm, the elf used his other hand to take something out of the small pouch at his waist and placed it near Gaius' lips. "Here. This leaves may help dull the pain. Chew on it, Gaius. Your pain won't be so bad afterwards."

As Gaius followed his instruction, Legolas turned to the eldest boy. "Traius, you need to get your brother home. His wound needs to be stitched. Where is your mount? You do have a mount, don't you?"

Traius was still glowering. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Legolas hesitated. _Ai.__ What a predicament I'm in right now._

His heart was heavy to let these boys get their injured companion home all by themselves when he himself had caused Gaius' injury. But he desperately wanted to get back to his wife as fast as he could, to rid himself off these miserable wet clothes and sit in front of a roaring hearth in his study, or snuggle close to Narasene's warm swollen belly.

He sighed. _Instead of a swift ride, I'm getting terribly delayed!_

"Look, Traius," Legolas started. "It's not that I don't want to come with you…"

"So you would rather run away after what you have done to him, is that it?" Traius said, not backing down.

Legolas felt a spurt of fury at the boy's impertinence. "You are way out of line, boy! I'm sorry I've caused your brother pain, but you are also at fault in this as much as I am! If you had not been so eager to follow your fathers' 'honorable' footsteps, this incident would never have happened! So gather your friends, get your mount and take your brother home where he can…"

Legolas' words suddenly broke off in a painful cry as something hard viciously struck the back of his head. Still holding Gaius in his arms, Legolas toppled sideways to land in a heap on the muddy ground.

As Gaius cried out in anguish at the movement that jarred his wound, the other boys stared open-mouthed at Traius who stood over the unconscious elf, gripping a fat stick in one hand. They never even noticed when Traius retrieved it from under a tree nearby. The elf obviously had not because he had been so focused on Gaius' injury.

"Traius...why…why did you do that?" one of the boys voiced out anxiously.

Smiling in triumph, Traius threw away the stick. "He refused to come home with us, so we will drag him along!"

"What?! Are you crazy?" Another boy shouted in alarm. "He is an elf!"

"I know that, Bors! That's the whole point!" Traius shouted back. "His kind killed my grandfather and injured my father during the war! It must not be left unpunished! We shall take him to our father. Imagine how proud he will be to know that I've captured an elf. An _elf_! Hah! I might not be a good robber like my father, but _this_ is even better."

Gaius was still sitting in the ground, crying silently as he stared at the supine body of the elf. "But, Traius, he has been very kind to me. Besides, it was _your_ blade that hit me, not his."

Traius' face grew thunderous. He reached down and grabbed his brother's ear, twisting it viciously. "I knew I should have left you behind, clinging to ma's skirt!" he fumed, ignoring Gaius' cries of pain and protest. "You are such a weakling! Stop crying and get on your feet! No wonder father thought nothing of you! You are hopeless!"

Gaius slowly complied, wincing with every move. Traius turned to the other boys. "Go and fetch our horses from behind those trees. And get me the rope!"

As two of the boys ran to do his biddings, the other one stared at their leader. "How are we going to get the elf to our village? He can't ride in this condition."

"Who says he is riding?" Traius replied with a strange smile. "We are going to drag him, literally."

The other boy shuddered involuntarily. "Traius, you are so like your father."

Traius' smile grew wider. "I know. And I'm proud of it."

"But, what about his horse?" Gaius suddenly voiced out.

Traius frowned as he looked around, but there was no sign of Legolas' mount. "Where _is_ that horse?"

"He fled, right after you struck the elf's head," the boy named Bors explained.

Traius shrugged. "Well, too bad. That was a very fine stallion. But what we have here is even more of value! My father will be so happy."

The other two boys returned with their horses. Traius took a coil of rope from his saddle and bound it tightly around Legolas' wrists. The boy also stripped the elf of his weapons before he jumped onto his mount, tying the other end of the rope around the pommel of his saddle.

"Let's move!" he ordered, and the rest of the boys followed.

The rain was still falling as they dragged him along, but Legolas was not aware of it. He was completely out cold.

If he was conscious, though, he might feel greatly insulted to be bested by a pack of mere children.

##############################################

As the fire crackled merrily in the hearth, a lone figure sat in the big easy chair, doing some needle work. She was softly humming as she mended her husband's shirt.

Lady Narasene, the lady of Ithilien keep, blushed when she recalled how the tunic was torn in the first place. Ever eager to please her husband, she had simply ripped the tunic off him, finding the task of undoing the catches a waste of time. Legolas didn't seem to mind, though, if his naughty grin was any indication. And what a special night it had been for both of them.

Smiling, Narasene paused and brought the shirt to her nose, inhaling Legolas' fine scent. Her longing for him was so palpable she could cry from it. With a sigh, she lowered the shirt and resumed sewing, wondering when her husband would return from Minas Tirith.

A brief knock suddenly came at the door, distracting her. "My lady?"

"Yes, come in."

A tall dark-haired elf entered at her bidding. A sliver of dread instantly ran up and down her spine when she saw the troubled expression on his face. Unconsciously, she stood, her mending lay forgotten at her feet. "Beregund? What's wrong?"

Beregund, Legolas' first in command, swallowed uneasily before replying, "His highness' mount has returned…_without_ him."

Narasene gasped in distress, her fist trembled over her lips. "No…Please…Not again."

Beregund quickly rushed forward when he saw her sway. "My lady!"

He wrapped a comforting arm around her and eased her back into the chair. Narasene looked terribly shaken, her eyes welling with tears. "I knew something terrible would happen," she sobbed. "I just knew it!"

"Shhh…my lady." Beregund tried to console her. "We will find him, I promise you. I have sent out our warriors to look for him and the rest of his party."

"In this weather? How can they find him?" Narasene blinked away her tears as she gazed at the drizzling rain through the opened window. Then she made herself breathe deeply, and held herself together. "Never mind that. We must find our lord, so we need to do everything that we can. Send missives to Minas Tirith and Eryn Lasgalen. Get their help in this search."

"Yes, my lady."

"And tell them to be quick. The rain will wash away all traces of him if we delayed."

Even after Beregund had left her a long while later, Narasene still sat there in the same chair, clutching her husband's tunic against her bosom.

"Oh, Legolas," she whimpered. "What have you gotten into this time?"****

**TBC…**


	3. 3

**Young Storyteller : Yes, that Finn is sure cute! And what a great podium finish it was for him! I love to see him grin like that! He! He! (Uh…right. Those boys sounded quite like Peter Pan and his hood. Peter even wears green tights like Leggy's! LOL!)**

**Irish Anor : Legolas _is_ stupid. All together now; 'Oh, no. Not again!'**

**vampy2k :**** Why would he listen to that stubborn ranger when _that_ ranger never listened to him? Ha! Ha!**

**Fire Breathing Ferret : Before you let your precious ferrets have at the boys, make sure they go to the vet first, check for rabies.**

**AbbiCat14 :**** Thanks for the plot bunny! (Oh, about the idea Of Leggy's child, I think you've just read my mind! You'll see what I mean!)**

**sazhismine :**** Correct! That will be the end of this story.**

**Kayo :**** No! I don't want Traius' dad to get a hold on Nara! No, he can't! He just can't! Please no!**

**Gwyn :**** Yep. He is not going live it down. I'll make sure of it!**

**Brazgirl :**** I agree with you. Kids nowadays are getting wilder and wilder. (Even my little nephew likes to imitate Power Rangers, chopping like mad at his one-month-old cousin! Arggh! That boy is frightening!)**

**Jamie :**** Thranduil vs Triaus' father? You are getting _very_ close!**

**Scotty Baby : Bring out your Scotty Rolen bat but don't swing it at me!**

**Karina :**** Baby, you don't know how right you are! Easterlings or Haradrims? Read on, and you'll find out. Oh, I hope u win!**

**#################################################**

The sound of wild cheers and exuberant shouting jarred Legolas to consciousness. Instantly, he felt pain—great throbbing pain in his head and agonizing strain from around his wrists. Blinking, he tried to gather his senses, and was surprised to find out that his face was mere inches from the ground. And he was moving!

With a gasp, Legolas lifted his head and couldn't help cringing in dismay. He found himself being dragged by a horse on a muddy street through a village. The rain unheeded, the villagers gathered around to watch this spectacle and seemed to be enjoying his plight immensely. They were openly cheering and rejoicing, as if he was some kind of a runaway criminal that had been successfully recaptured. Some of them were also laughing and jeering at him. Still dazed and disoriented, Legolas couldn't fully understand what had caused them to react to him this way.

Angry and slightly frightened, Legolas gazed upward and saw the slender figure of a boy riding on the horse. At that instant, the boy turned and smirked back at him.

He was Traius, the boy who had led the group that had tried to rob him.

Legolas saw red.

Ignoring his pain and discomfort, he gathered all his will and nimbly leaped to his feet. Wrapping the rope around his fist, Legolas then jerked with all his might, his feet firmly planted in the muddy ground for leverage.

Traius' smirk vanished, to be replaced by a look of complete shock as his horse neighed and reared, dumping the rider off its back. The boy landed in the dirt with a yell as the people looked on in astonishment.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Legolas quickly ran for the agitated mare. He was about to jump onto its back and make haste his escape, but the villagers quickly reacted to stop him. The men reached for the horse and held her still, while strong eager hands grabbed the elf and dragged him back down.

Enraged, Legolas growled as he struggled to free himself, throwing punches with his bound wrists and kicking desperately at his captors. Several men were thrown back in the scuffle, while one of them was rendered senseless. But more men kept coming to subdue the elf. Wounded and still weak, Legolas found himself lying face down in the mud not long after, sporting a new bruise on his head, as well as some bleeding cuts on his face and lips. Three men were holding him down, pressing their knees against his back.

If it was not such a dire situation, Legolas might have laughed at himself. _Captured.__ Again. By a pack of children, no less._

He looked up with difficulty when he heard approaching footsteps. A man was steadily coming towards him, his long strides marred slightly by a limp in his gait. And then Legolas began to notice the manner of dressing of the people around him, as well as their speech and bearing.

The elf grew paler, if such a feat was possible. _No. Scratch that. These are no mere children. And these are no simple villagers. These are Easterlings!_

The newcomer gave a signal and the men pulled Legolas to his knees, keeping a firm hold on his arms. One of them even grabbed a fist of the elf's golden hair and yanked his head back, enabling him to clearly observe the newcomer's face.

Legolas knew and would always remember that face anywhere.

"Hello, Gervas," Legolas said through gritted teeth. "Looks like you've survived."

The man smiled in recognition. "So, _elf_, you remember me. What a surprise. I can hardly believe it's truly you. "

"You know him, father?" Traius suddenly appeared at the man's side. The boy was wincing, rubbing at his smarting backside due to his fall.

Gervas' smile grew wider. "Of course. We are old acquaintances. We met during the War." The man reached down and wrapped his fingers around Legolas' throat, and squeezed. His black eyes glittered with menace. And anger.

"This is the elf who killed your grandfather."

######################################################

Night had fallen and the rain had finally stopped. But there was still no sign of Gervas.

Legolas sighed and rested the back of his head against the pole he was tied to. His throat still felt sore after Gervas' attempt to crush his larynx just now, but the man had suddenly ceased and released him before he could cause permanent damage.

"To kill you now would seem foolish," Gervas had said then, smiling at Traius' way. "I would not want my boy's effort go to waste. He is a smart one, don't you think?"

Legolas had snorted. "Like father, like son," he responded sarcastically.

"Yes. I'm proud of him," Gervas' said, patting Traius' shoulder. "Well done, my boy. I was about to trash you when I found out you took my horse without my permission. But you have surely given me something good in return."

Traius' beamed at his father's praise. "He is very mean, father! He tried to kill Gaius. He stabbed my brother in the arm!"

Legolas exploded. "Liar! It was your blade that…"

Gervas swung his fist and struck the elf on the jaw. "Hold your tongue before I cut it out of you!"

His eyes flashing, Legolas slowly raised his head and glared at Gervas and his son. The boy instantly turned pale and took a step back, so intimidating and formidable Legolas' gaze was. Even Gervas grew uneasy and he quickly looked away.

"You will be punished, elf!" Gervas retorted. "I will decide what punishment befits your crimes! But for now, enjoy your stay in our village while you still can. You might lose your head tonight!"

Gervas turned to go but one of the men stopped him. "Where do you want us to put him, chief?"

The head of the village frowned as he pondered. "We don't have a cell to keep him locked in, do we? Never mind. Tie him up to the flag pole in front of my house. He will be comfortable there while I decide his fate."

_Comfortable, my ass!_ Legolas fumed two hours later. He had tried to loosen the bindings around his wrists but it wouldn't give. _Blasted Easterlings! I should have killed them all during the war!_

To see Gervas once more had stirred disturbing recollections in his mind. He first met Gervas during the famous battle of the Pelennor Field. Gervas' father was one of the Easterling's high chieftains, the force that had assisted Lord Sauron to conquer Middle-earth during the War of the Ring. The man's reputation preceded him, definitely an influential person to be reckoned with. He was quite ancient for a human, over seventy years of age. But the man's greed for power and thirst for blood had been as strong as an orc's.

Legolas' conscience would never let him harm an old man, but it had been a time of war. He had had no other choice but to do what he had to do. With one clean stroke, the man was killed instantly. But his only son, Gervas, had been there when he fell. Legolas would never forget the madness in Gervas' eyes when the man had tried to avenge his father's death. Gervas had been so intent to kill Legolas that he had moved recklessly, growing quickly out of control. The prince had managed to hit Gervas on his leg, completely maiming him. That was why the man still walked with a limp.

But before Legolas could give him the killing blow, something else had caught the prince's immediate attention. Aragorn, who was fighting with a group of Haradrims several yards away, was about to be overwhelmed by his adversaries. The future king of Gondor desperately needed help. Without haste, Legolas had left Gervas writhing on the ground despite the man's curses and protests. "Where are you going, elf? We are not finish!"

Legolas had paused momentarily, gazing at the injured man. "Yes, we are."

Gervas was still yelling when Legolas reached Aragorn. "Coward! Finish me off! Or I will come and haunt you and make you pay! Do you hear me! I, GERVAS, SWEAR TO MAKE YOU PAY!"

That was the last Legolas heard of him.

Legolas closed his eyes with a tired sigh. _Oh, yes. I am going to pay, all right. Thanks to my absolute stupidity!_

Sitting quietly on the damp ground with his arms bound behind him, Legolas began to feel the toll from his rough adventure.  Every inch of his body hurt after being dragged all day. His head still throbbed, but at least it had stopped bleeding. His wrists? He couldn't even feel his wrists. They had gone numb. And so was his face. He won't be surprised to look in the mirror and find a stranger looking back at him. The men had pounded him real good. His left eye felt swollen, and his lower lip was twice its normal size.

_Ai! I'm filthy!_ Legolas grimaced at his mud splattered state. He was caked with dirt from head to toe. One of his boots was missing, and his clothes were ripped. His long hair was tangled, the braids undone. Legolas bit on another string of vile curses. _Even the orc looks cleaner. If only Nara could see me now. She would have a fit!_ __

Wet and miserable, Legolas wished he had listened to Aragorn's advice. _Estel__ will definitely kill me! If Nara didn't get to me first, that is._

Then he scoffed. _If I came out of this mess alive, that is._

Having no other thing to do as he waited for Gervas, Legolas looked up and assessed his surroundings. The village was still alive at night, with sounds of laughter and shouts coming from the well-lit buildings. Men and women walked to and fro in the streets, occasionally sending the elf amused gazes and provoking sneers. Meanwhile, a group of children stood nearby, staring at the dirty creature bound to the pole, longing to pelt him with rotten vegetables they had stolen from their mothers' larders. But the two men—who stood guard over the elf—glared back at the children, not allowing them to disturb the prisoner until Gervas had his say in the matter. The elf obviously was very important to their chief, and they did not want to invoke Gervas' fury by doing anything without his permission.

Legolas saw Traius among the children. The boy was grinning victoriously, looking so proud with what he had done. Gaius stood in the background, his injured arm in a sling. Unlike his elder brother, the young boy looked stricken and guilty. He glanced repeatedly at Legolas, his sad eyes seeking for forgiveness of any kind.

Ruefully, Legolas shook his head. _Lord, what a mess!_

To keep his mind off the dreadful situation, he started to wonder about the Easterlings. He never would have thought that these people dared to put up a new village on the soil of Gondor. After the big lost that the Easterlings had suffered in the War ten years ago, Legolas rarely heard of the once powerful tribe. He only knew that their strong foundation had weakened, and those that survived the War had scattered all over the land, taking up hunting and raiding as their major mode of life. Unlike the Haradrims, the Easterlings had not actively retaliated against Gondor. They had kept their silence and stowed away their bitter grudge for years.

_And now, I've stumbled into their midst, eagerly asking for trouble_, Legolas still couldn't stop lecturing himself. _Very smart, Legolas.__ Now what?_

As if hearing his thoughts, Gervas finally emerged from his house with four other men. They steadily walked towards the flag pole, staring at the elf bound to it. With hands clasped behind his back, Gervas smiled. "We have decided what to do with you, elf."

Legolas cocked one eyebrow. "Really? And you took _hours _to do so? Not so bright, are you?"

Frowning, Gervas glared at the elf while the men murmured between themselves.

"Such insolence coming from you! But no more. You will never speak that way to me again." Gervas started to walk slowly around the pole, circling the elf. "You see, elf, we have decided not to execute you. No, that would be a waste. Instead, we are going to let you live. _But_…"

The man stopped in front of Legolas once more. "You _are_ going to pay for what you did to my father, to me, and to my younger son."

Legolas felt a prickle of fear deep inside him as he saw the malicious glint in Gervas' eyes. "And how exactly do you want me to pay?"

Gervas smiled crookedly before replying, "By becoming our slave."****

**TBC…**


	4. 4

Hey, guys. I'm in a hurry and won't be here for the next few days so enjoy this chapter till I get back! Smile!

#############################################

Legolas blinked at Gervas' words. "Your slave," he glibly responded. "And what service do you want of me? Teach your unruly children the meaning of _decorum_? Truthfully, I found them completely lacking in manners and deportment. You _are_ a terrible parent."

Gervas turned red. He snatched a club from one of the standing guards and swung it viciously to strike the elf's head. Bright stars exploded behind Legolas' eyes from the impact, rendering him unconscious.

When he came to a while later, Legolas found himself lying on his side, still attached to the pole. But instead of rope, shackles now bound his wrists and ankles. He was also barefoot and shirtless, leaving him clad only in his soiled leggings.

Legolas couldn't stop his groans of pain as he lay there, writhing on the ground. With trembling hand, he reached up to touch his bleeding temple, all the while cursing at himself._ Ai! Stupid idiot! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut?_

"You awake, elf? Good. Now listen to what I have to say," Gervas suddenly appeared in Legolas' line of vision as the man squatted down in front of him. Legolas merely arched one brow at the man, waiting in silence for the man to continue.

"Like I've told you—right before you interrupted me just now—you are to be our slave," Gervas said. "You will do all that we tell you do and, believe me, there are _lots_ of things to do here. You are going to be _very_ busy. My deputy, Budal, will give you your chores in the morning."

A burly looking man stepped forward and gave the elf a hard stare. Legolas gulped, quite intimidated he was to see the bulging muscles on Budal's massive form.

_So, this monster is going to be my keeper. Impressive_, Legolas wryly thought, sending Budal a glare of his own.

"But for now, I expect you to get as much rest as you can, because it will be your last," Gervas continued, his eyes cold. "And don't even think of escaping. See that?"

Legolas looked at the direction that Gervas was pointing. Several men armed with bow and arrows were already posted at various spots, standing guard.

"They are watching your every move, elf. If you try to run away, they will shoot you without question. You will never succeed. Those men will see to it that you won't."

Gervas rose. As he turned to go, the man paused. "Oh, before I forget, elf; Welcome to my domain."

###########################################

"If I get my hands on that…that…_elf_…! I swear I'll put him in jail and keep him there until his hair turned gray!" The king of Gondor ranted on as he walked to and fro in his study. "Blast it! That elf is a menace to himself!"

Queen Arwen exchanged slightly amused looks with Prince Faramir who sat next to her. Aragorn had been like this since they received a missive from Narasene. Faramir, who still lingered in Minas Tirith before returning home to Emyn Arnen, had sent out his best trackers to look for the missing elven prince. So far, after two days of searching, no good news had come to their hearing.

"Estel." Arwen stood and reached for her husband's hand. "Come, sit down. You need to stay calm."

Aragorn's eyes bulged. "Stay calm? How can I stay calm when Legolas is out there, lying hurt or dead somewhere?"

Holding him still, Arwen gazed into Aragorn's eyes and saw great worry and pain there, as well as guilt.

"I should have been more firm with him, Arwen." Aragorn sighed, his shoulders slumped. "I should have knocked him unconscious and tied him up until he agrees to take his escorts with him. Blast it! Why did I let him go?!"

"Estel, it's not your fault. No one expected this would happen," she said, cupping his cheek.

Aragorn glanced askance at his wife. "You are joking, right? This is Legolas we are talking about. With him, you _should_ expect the unexpected."

Arwen smiled wanly and turned to the other man in the room. "Faramir, talk some sense into him."

Grimacing slightly, Faramir stood and stepped closer. "Don't worry, my lord. Lord Thranduil is not going to kill you."

Arwen glared at him as Aragorn groaned out loud, his hand covering his eyes. "Big help you are!" she admonished Faramir. "I told you to comfort him, not to distress him more!"

Faramir shrugged, sheepishly. "Well, what else can I say?"

Arwen rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her husband. "Really, Estel. You need to stay calm. They _will_ find him."

The king shook his head. "How can you be so sure?"

"Well, before this, he always came back to us, didn't he? I'm sure he will find a way to survive and return home, no matter what happens to him. Maybe our trackers have found him already, right as we speak." Arwen still not gave up placating her husband, even though her heart began to fill with doubt.

 "But the rain…it could be impossible to trace his tracks…" Aragorn leaned against the hearth, staring gloomily at the roaring fire. "Faramir, has Lord Thranduil been informed?"

Faramir blinked. "Uh…don't get this the wrong way, my lord, but…do you wish to die?"

"_Faramir_!"

The other man smiled weakly as Arwen's glare grew more ferocious. "Sorry. But I'm serious this time, Aragorn. Lord Thranduil might not kill you, but he might wring your neck with his own bare hands. He expects you to keep an eye on that precious son of his."

Exasperated with the two men, Arwen blurted, "It's too late for you to keep all this from him. Nara told me in her missive that she has already sent a messenger to Eryn Lasgalen."

"_What?!_No…" the men simultaneously shouted in surprise, muttering curses under their breath.

"Ai! We are dead!" Aragorn exclaimed.

"Knowing him, Thranduil will be here in the three days, top," supplied Faramir, already turning pale.

Aragorn drew a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "We must find Legolas, Faramir. And we must find him before his father gets here, or there will be fireworks in our hands!"

##########################################

With a tired groan, Legolas plopped himself down at the base of an apple tree behind Gervas' house. He slowly worked the kinks out of his joints before he leaned his back against the rough bark, his eyes closed and his legs outstretched in front of him.

"Stay there and don't go anywhere!"

Legolas' eyes snapped open at Budal's rough voice. The big man was glowering down at him, daring the elf to defy his orders. Having been at the receiving end of Budal's meaty fists twice before, defying the man was the last thing that Legolas wanted. So he simply shrugged and turned his gaze away, mourning his loss of freedom in silent contemplation.

Budal scoffed at the elf's lack of response and whirled around, signaling the other two men to keep watching over their prisoner.

Legolas swallowed down the tears that threatened to clog his throat, his eyes already stinging. _So, this is what becomes of me due to my own stupidity. A slave. How pathetic, Legolas. You've totally done it now._

Five days had gone slowly and miserably for him. Five days of nightmare and utter humiliation. Gervas was not kidding when he said that they would keep Legolas busy. The man had listed so many chores for the elf to do, keeping him at work from dawn till night. Legolas had refused to do anything on the first day, but Gervas had happily told Budal to beat him until he obeyed. He still sported bruises and cracked ribs from that episode.

Although his pride lay in tatters, Legolas finally followed their orders, seething silently in anger. Once in a while, he would search for a chance to escape but, so far, his chances were slim. His guards trained their eyes on him all the time even while he slept, tied to the flag pole by his shackles.

With a grimace, Legolas looked down and stared at the blisters and cuts on his hands, a painful addition to his other injuries. He had been chopping logs all day, before distributing them to every house in the village. It was a very rough labor and downright torturing, especially to someone who had never done such tedious chore before. As a noble born prince, there were always the servants to do the works for him. He was pampered and indulged in every way—his needs fulfilled, his wishes granted.

But not anymore. He was now laboring for other people—the people who was also his enemy.

The Easterlings treated him like they would a slave, which exactly what he was to them. He had been forced to work in the stable once, shoveling out the horse manure and carting down the bales of hay from the barn next door. He wished they would let him get near the horses because he intended to steal one. But Gervas seemed to know what Legolas planned to do, so he kept the elf far away from the beasts.

Legolas had also been pushed to work in the village cornfield. It was time to plant new seeds. But instead of using the mules, the people had forced _him_ to pull the plough. It was such a backbreaking work that Legolas had fainted from sheer exhaustion at the end of the day. Budal had doused him with a pail of water to wake him up, telling him to get to the local tavern next to wash some dishes.

Then there were more chores for him to do after that, one after another. He was refused his rest, and sometimes they even starved him. Being bound in shackles didn't help matters. His wrists and ankles were bloodied from the abrasions. The short piece of chain that connected his two legs didn't allow him for anything more than tiny, hobbling steps, adding to his difficulties to do his chores.

Sometimes, Legolas felt like screaming out his frustration and despair. He was treated lower than his pride allowed. Even the animals fared better than him. He felt so helpless and angry he wanted to kill something, or someone. He had considered using the axe he'd used to chop woods just now as a weapon, but those men had never stopped aiming their bows and arrows at his heart, as if wishing he _would _do something so they could have the excuse to shoot him.

_Nara must be frantic by now_, he thought, hugging his knees to his chest. _And maybe Estel is already out there, looking for me. Or better yet, maybe father is screaming at that human right now, for letting me do such a stupid thing, riding without my escorts. Ai, that would be a sight to see._

A big lump instantly grew in his throat, choking him, as the faces of his loved ones swam in his mind. _Father…Estel…Nara…_

Before he could burst into uncontrollable sobs, Budal suddenly appeared once more, carrying a small package wrapped in a brown paper. The man tossed him the package and it landed on the ground, right next to Legolas' feet.

"Your dinner. Now eat," he ordered.

Legolas glanced at the package and picked it up. Instead of the usual rice or pieces of bread, he found several slices of dried venison and a raw piece of chicken wrapped inside. He nearly gagged. "I...You know I don't eat meat."

Budal smirked with a shrug. "Yes, I know. But that's all you shall have for today."

"But I can't eat this," Legolas protested, even though he was so hungry he could eat an entire horse.

"Fine." Budal snatched the package from the elf's startled hands. "Then you shall starve."

At that, the man turned to go. "Oh, right, I nearly forgot." Budal paused for a moment. "There's still one more errand that the chief wants you to do before you sleep. I'll come back for you after I eat my dinner. Enjoy listening to your stomach sing," he said with a laugh and resumed walking, already digging at Legolas' food.

Legolas' eyes drew to a slit, wishing he had a blade to stab through the man's broad back.

Sighing, he turned slightly and rested his forehead against the tree trunk. His stomach was grumbling, and his throat was parched. He had not eaten anything the whole day, but he had managed to drink some fill when he collected water for Gervas' wife from the stream that noon. He had had to make several trips to the stream and back to fill Gervas' water supply, carrying the heavy pails by using a wooden bar across his shoulders. He still felt like he couldn't walk straight ever again.

Beneath his hands, the tree was alive and strong as it softly sang to him a song of comfort. Legolas smiled despite his misery. At least the nature was still there for him, to witness his sorrow and hear his pain. And when an apple suddenly dropped from above to land on his lap not long after, he was not overly surprised.

Picking up the apple, Legolas raised his gaze and stared at the tree. Mysteriously, there was no other fruit in sight. It was not even a fruiting season. "Thank you," Legolas voiced out quietly. "Thank you so much."

The apple felt like heaven in Legolas' mouth. It tasted sweet and juicy. It sated him somewhat, even though his stomach still asked for more. But for now, he was content.

True to Budal's words, the man returned an hour later. It was already dark and stars began to appear in the sky. Legolas regretted not to be able to enjoy them tonight, knowing that his coming chore would keep him too occupied to notice anything else.

"Get up," Budal ordered. He then led the elf towards a small clearing beside Gervas' house. Next, Budal tossed the elf a shovel. "Dig!"

Legolas blinked, staring questioningly at the shovel in his hands.

"I said, dig!" Budal repeated with a shout. Shrugging, Legolas drove the shovel into the earth and started digging, wondering what exactly the hole was for.

Legolas dug all night, with his keepers watching him the entire time. They sat around, talking and laughing between themselves. Once in a while, they would yell at the elf to dig faster so they could get back to their wives and wenches. Legolas ignored their taunts and insults, keeping his ears deaf to every sound except for his own heartbeats.

When Budal told the elf to stop several hours later, there was a sizable trench on the ground. The hole was about five-feet long, three-feet wide and four-feet deep. Budal quickly snatched the shovel out of Legolas' hands before the elf could think to pummel him with it, not that Legolas had any strength left to do so.

But as Legolas made a move to climb out of the hole, Budal barked back at him, "Stay in there!"

Stupefied, Legolas could only stare at the man. "What?"

"You are not going anywhere else tonight, elf," Budal said. "From this night onwards, this is going to be your prison."

For a long moment, Legolas couldn't move, so shock he was with this sudden turn of events. "My…my prison?"

"This is where you sleep from now on." Budal turned when several men came forward carrying a heavy, steel door. "Ah, it's already here. Now, elf, keep your head down while we put it in place…"

With a cry of protest, Legolas suddenly leaped out of the hole. _I won't let them keep me in that place! I won't!_

As if already expecting the elf to react that way, Budal swung the shovel and slammed it against Legolas' face. Legolas staggered and fell back into the hole. His ears rang and his vision darkened as pain exploded in his brain. As he lay there in the dirt, writhing in agony, the men worked quickly above him to attach the steel door onto the hole.

When the men finished, all safety bolts were firmly in place and a big padlock completed the small prison. Laughing, patting one another in the back, the men then retreated towards home, leaving the elf to his living nightmare.

Inside the hole, Legolas was gasping and trembling in fright. He was in complete darkness, with nothing around him except for the dirt and soil and damp earth. Ever since he got trapped in his father's dungeon in Mirkwood as a child, Legolas had never liked the dark. To make it even worst was the cramp space. The hole was not big enough to accommodate his tall figure and long limbs. He had to bend himself at the knees and elbows, slouching down until his forehead nearly touched his chest. His only small relief was the tiny holes on the door, to let in some air so he would not suffocate. But it was still a place of absolute torture for a wood elf like him.

The pain didn't get to Legolas before. But the darkness truly sparked great terror in him, tearing at his will to shreds.

Losing it, Legolas screamed and screamed, banging desperately and hysterically at the heavy door above him. But no one came.

No one came…

TBC…


	5. 5

**I'm still in a run and can't respond to all the reviews but here's a quick chapter I managed to write between meetings and presentations so enjoy it till I come back!**

**##############################################**

The hallway was silent. It was deserted saved for a lone elf, who walked slowly yet steadily towards the lady's solarium. Without knocking, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, his blue eyes seeking for someone.

He immediately found her sitting in the window seat, staring into space with sorrowful jade green eyes that had dried out of tears. A shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, her hands clutching tight at the fabric as if it were a lifeline. She didn't acknowledge his entrance, keeping herself completely mute. She didn't even stir.

Thranduil's heart broke to see his daughter-in-law so miserable like this. With a soft sigh, the elven king stepped forward and took a seat beside her. He took one of her cool hands and squeezed. "Nara?"

She didn't reply, keeping her eyes trained outside. But her lips trembled, and a sob broke out. Still, she didn't say a word.

He tried again. "Nara, dear…please…Why are you secluding yourself like this? Come, let me take you to your room. The servants had prepared dinner for you there."

She weakly shook her head, clutching her shawl tighter around her. "I'm not hungry, my lord."

"That is a lie and well you know it," Thranduil gently chided, stroking her head. "You haven't eaten anything since this morning."

"But what of my husband? Has he eaten? Or is he starving, lying broken and hurt somewhere, having not the means to fend for himself? Without him, every food I take taste like dust…" She buried her face in her hands and dissolved into tears.

Thranduil pulled her until her head rested against his shoulder. "Shh, Nara…He will return, my dear. Legolas will return."

Narasene brushed her tears away, still sobbing. "But it has been weeks! My heart tells me that he is still alive, but where in Middle-earth _is_ he? Oh, my lord, I can't bear this anymore…"

Offering soothing words to her as he hugged her tight, Thranduil himself couldn't stop his own tears from falling. _Ai.__ Where could my son be?_

Over three weeks had passed since the day Legolas went missing. The king of Eryn Lasgalen had been in his son's keep for many days now, lending his support to Narasene, sharing each other's worries and anxiety.

The warriors of Ithilien, knights of Emyn Arnen and guards of Gondor had launched a full-fledged search all over the land. They thoroughly combed the woods, checked every town and village, and inspected all the caves that existed, leaving not a single rock unturned. But they found nary a trace of him, having been washed away by the heavy rain before. It was as if Legolas had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. His faithful mount might know where its master was or what had happened to him, but the stallion could not speak. Only Legolas could fully decipher the horse's unintelligible snorts.

The moment he arrived in Minas Tirith, Thranduil had ranted on and on about Aragorn's failure to stop Legolas from riding out alone. The poor man's ears were still blistering from the long lecture. Faramir, meanwhile, had wisely made himself invisible, after giving excuses to lead the searching expedition.

"Why didn't you just knock that silly boy upside the head?!" Thranduil had shouted at Aragorn in the end, his face turning red.

Then, seeing the huge guilt on the man's face, the elven king had quietly apologized for his rudeness and started to head back for Ithilien, where he had launched his own search and rescue operation. A familiar task for him, given that his son had repeatedly gone missing since the prince was a mere elfling. It had been an exasperating yet simple routine to him, only that it was not so simple this time. Legolas was never found.

Rubbing Narasene's back, Thranduil quickly pulled himself together, wiping his tears away. "Come, Nara. You must eat," he said, his voice firm.

"But I told you, I'm not…"

"…hungry, I know, but I still don't believe you," he replied with a stern gaze. At that, Narasene lowered her head, ashamed.

His voice softening, Thranduil added, "You should be more careful in your current condition, Nara. You are expecting. You might not be hungry, but you _have_ to eat…for your child's sake."

She finally raised her tearful eyes, gazing beseechingly at her father-in-law. "All right, my lord. I shall eat. But…will you join me?"

Truthfully, Thranduil did not feel like eating himself, but he nodded with a smile. "I shall join you, my dear. Let's go, before the food gets cold."

As they walked—arm in arm—to her room, Narasene suddenly voiced out, "My lord, do you think he is still alive?"

Thranduil took a long time to answer, his throat constricting, his paternal heart bleeding. Somehow, he could still hear his son's laughter and see his naughty grin, his silver eyes always glinting with mischief.

The king shook himself off his melancholia to respond to her question. "Legolas is still alive, I can feel it. He has promised to follow me to Valinor, to reunite with Keldarion there, remember? But if he is already dead, I believe my elder son would be so angry that Legolas didn't keep his promise. Why, I think Keldarion would try to bring his little brother back to life so that he can kill him again for being so stupid!"

In spite of herself, Narasene softly chuckled. "But let me at him first. Wifely rights, you know."

Thranduil grinned, glad to see some colors returning to her cheeks. Legolas might still be missing, but at least a small part of him was still growing in Narasene's belly. And Thranduil would do _anything_ to keep both mother and child safe until Legolas returned to resume his place at her side.

####################################################

It was still early morning, and the mist was thick around him, but the slave was already hard at work by the stream, doing the laundry.

There were several overflowing buckets of dirty clothes for Legolas to wash. They came from every house and building in the village, placed there beside the stream by the villagers last night. The elf was expected to hang them to dry in the opened field after he finished the washing.

The water was so icy cold—nearly freezing—that his fingers had gone numb, but Legolas didn't seem to realize it. In fact, he no longer cared. He was moving on autopilot now, his hands busily working but his mind completely empty. He was still breathing, yet not truly alive. Like his body, his soul was trapped, slowly dissolving into a vulnerable shell he had put up around himself.

A month had already gone by. A painful humiliating month. Ever since they had imprisoned him in the hole that he himself had dug, something inside him had shut down—something so deep and complicated that he did not dare to contemplate. _Something_ that was vaguely similar to what he had felt after a group of men had brutally violated him all those years ago. With each day he slaved for the Easterlings, his soul slowly died—bit by bit.

He was not giving up. But he was not fighting back, either. Instead, he silently waited, expecting his rescuers to come and take him back to his real, ordinary life sooner or later. He fully believed that Estel and his father would never stop looking for him, even if it would take them hundreds of years to find him. He had faith in them, in their love for him. He held on to that, to never giving up existing, even though he had felt like killing himself on the first night they left him in that pitch black hole.

As he scrubbed stubborn stains out of a white shirt, Legolas bitterly recalled what had happened last week. A troop of soldiers from Gondor had come into the village. Obviously, they were there to search for him. But a scout for the village had seen them coming from a league away and immediately warned Gervas. Keeping his cool, Gervas and his men had dragged Legolas from the cornfield back to his prison. Pushing him into the hole, they had relocked the steel door and put bales of hay on top of it. They even gagged the elf to keep him from crying out for help.

To the soldiers of Gondor, the Easterlings pretended to be warm and peaceful people who were sincerely trying to rebuild their life after suffering a big loss during the War. They also pretended to knew nothing of the missing elf.

"Lord Legolas, you say?" Gervas faked a thoughtful expression at their enquiries. "No. I believe I haven't heard of him. Have you heard of an elf around here, Traius?"

His eldest son had shaken his head, also playing along. "No, father. I never even met an elf before," the boy had answered, lying through his teeth.

"We still need to go through every house in this village," the captain of the Gondorim soldiers had said. "You know, it's strictly procedures."

"I understand," Gervas had replied, looking eager to please. "Go right ahead. My people will help you. We have nothing to hide."

The soldiers of Gondor took hours to search the entire village, but they came out empty handed. Never would they think that they had actually come very close to finding the missing prince. Legolas was literally right under their feet, struggling and fighting at his bonds and gag to catch their attention. But the bales of hay on top of Legolas' prison had been a very effective disguise. In the end, the soldiers had moved on to other villages, unsuspectingly leaving the elf behind, still a prisoner to the Easterlings.

A sudden appearance of a tabby cat pulled Legolas out of his reverie. He watched with a small smile as she moved to the edge of the stream to drink. Her tongue lapped greedily at the water, completely ignoring her audience. The cat obviously was very thirsty.

_And she's heavily pregnant!_ Legolas noticed with pleasure.

His smile slowly vanished then, as his thought flew to his own pregnant wife. Narasene was due to give birth and day now. Trapped here in the Easterlings village, Legolas deeply regretted not to be able to be there for her when the baby came. He was also sad to realize that his child might be born without a father.

Valar, how he wanted to smell his child's first breath, and to sing him lullabies that his own father had once sung to him. How he wanted so much to become a father in a true sense of word, in _every_ way he could.

But, look at him now—a mere slave to his enemy, a warrior and prince no more.

He looked down at his hands, the hands that used to wield heavy sword, twirl sharp blades, and shoot deadly arrows. The hands that had helped resurrected the king of Gondor to his rightful throne. The hands that had killed hundreds of orcs and cut the tail of a balrog. The hands that once could heal all kinds of illnesses and maladies. The hands of a _manyan_. But those hands were now deep in suds from dirty laundry.

Something flickered inside him then.

_Ai Elbereth.__ What am I doing?_ Legolas raised his hands and stared at the calluses and blisters that were never there before. _Why am I willing to be subjected to this? Why didn't I fight back? This is not who I am. I'm a prince, a warrior. I may never escape from this place, but that doesn't mean I should tolerate what these people are doing to me._

A smile slowly broke on his face, his spirit steadily rising once more. _I'll show these people who I really am_.

He quickly looked around, noticing that his two guards were standing not too far away. Unsurprisingly, the two men were completely armed with bow and arrows, but one of them looked as if he was asleep on his feet, nodding off with his chin resting against his chest. The other man, meanwhile, was bored out of his mind, yawning hugely now and then.

Legolas had considered escaping by jumping into the stream, but it was too shallow for swimming and the water was too cold to the bone. Besides, he was still bound in shackles. But the stream could provide other kind of distractions. 

Making sure that the two men were not watching, Legolas silently slipped the shirt he was holding into the stream. Then he tossed several more into the water, watching with glee as the current carried the clothes downstream. Then he looked behind him at the row of the full laundry buckets.

_Oh, what the heck_, thought the elf, and dumped the entire buckets into the water, grinning like a maniac.

"Hey, what are you doing?" his two guards shouted when they realized what Legolas was up to. "Stop!"

Legolas couldn't help laughing as one of the men ran and jumped into the stream to catch the drifting clothing, cursing like mad. His friend leveled his arrow straight at Legolas' throat. "Go help him catch those clothes, elf!" he ordered.

The elf just grinned. "No."

The man's face turned red with anger. "Do it or I'll shoot you!"

Shrugging, Legolas laid himself onto the ground, his arms folded behind his head. "Go ahead. Do whatever you like. I don't give a damn."

The man blinked at Legolas' easy response, totally unsure of what to do next. And then, alerted by the guards' cries just now, more men came running towards the stream.

"What's going on?"

"What is Holt doing in the water?"

"The blasted elf threw all the clothes into the stream!" the guard complained.

"_All_ of them?"

"Yes! Now go help Holt picked them up before there's nothing left for us to wear!"

Lying lazily on the bank, Legolas chuckled as he watched the men stumbled all over themselves after their friend to catch their 'escaping' garments.

Gervas was so not amused with that incident. Afterwards, he ordered Legolas to be whipped.

Not a stranger to such punishment, the elf took the fifty lashes they gave him with a smile, highly pleased to note that he had managed to greatly fluster the Easterlings over a simple matter of laundry.

He didn't stop there.

The next day, while he was washing the dishes in the tavern, Legolas purposely broke all the plates and glasses. While working in the cornfield the day after that, he ran the plough all over the budding seeds he himself had planted. He then shoveled the horse manure out of the stable and dumped them right onto Gervas' doorstep, before throwing some more into the man's house for added measure. To top it all of, he had relieved himself right into Gervas' water trough, contaminating the man's water supply completely.

Of course, Legolas was roughly punished for every single thing that he did, but it was worth it. Now these humans knew that he was not an easy person to play with.

It didn't take long for Gervas and his men to finally come out with a plan to curb the elf's bold retaliation, once and for all.****

**TBC…**


	6. 6

**Szhismine**** :**** You still can't believe all this is happening? Well, read this chappy. It's unbelievable! Even to me. I might be crazy while writing this!**

**Emily :**** Thank you and I will keep updating, as long as my boss gives me some slack. Right, boss?**

**Tree Huggin Hippie : Oh wow! Thanks a million! And you've been here since 'The Evil Bride'? Gracious! I'm so honored to hear that. That's okay if you're a silent reader because, guess what? So am I! I read lots of stories on board but I only review when the mood strikes me. I know, I'm lazy in that department so sue me. Anyway, glad to know that you are always around!**

**Althelas**** :**** I have smacked the elf for you. That's why he starts fighting back.**

**Aranel**** of Kimi : Yeah, poor Kimi. What the heck was wrong with his rear wing, flying off like that? Oh, I get it. He was going too fast! He broke the lap record, didn't he? Well, good for him! (I wished the rear wing had come swinging and hit MS's car though. Ha! Ha!) Oh, don't forget, Kimi ties the knot this weekend!**

**Slea**** :**** Yep. He has spent way too much time with the twins. Silly elflings.**

**Musicstarlover**** :**** Life is still hectic for me right now but it's slowly getting back to normal. How's yours?**

**Legolas**** Greenleaf : Cliffhangers should _not_ be banned! Please don't do this to us writers! We need cliffhangers to live! Arghh! **

**Kayo :**** Keep guessing, mate!**

**Dur**** En Thurin Naur : Kill my boss? Oh, please do so!**

**AbbiCat14 :**** OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Yep, that was the longest review you've ever given! THANK YOU! You still want to whip our fav Leggy?  You can't, though. The real Leggy has returned. Kegichi got stuck in the tree? Hahahahahaha! Oh, before I forgot : HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sweet 16 now, eh?**

**Deana :**** You want to see their baby? Mmm. Let's see what I can do.**

**#############################################**

A loud clang sounded as the steel door to Legolas' prison was flung open.

"Get up here, elf!" Budal growled at the lithe figure crouching inside.

Smiling, Legolas lazily got to his feet and stretched. "Morning, Budal," he said, yawning hugely. "Good day, isn't it?"

Budal glared without responding to Legolas' greetings. He said instead, "Be quick about it, elf! Gervas has something for you to do!"

Shrugging, Legolas nimbly jumped out of the hole. "You know, Budal, you remind me of a bulldog. Perhaps you should smile more often. That scowl on your face only makes you look uglier than a Gollum."

The man's glare grew even more ferocious. "A what?"

"A Gollum. You know, the creature who slaved himself to The Ring. A creature that followed his master's every wish. A stupid and weak creature—just like you."

Budal's face turned red. He yanked at Legolas' hair and jerked him closer. "Shut up, elf! Now go to the stream!"

Legolas was laughing inside to see that his taunts had ruffled Budal's feathers. "Why? Do you want me to send all your clothes downstream again? Oh, wait. Do you want me to give you a bath? Trust me, Budal, you smell like a pig!"

Growling, Budal pushed Legolas ahead of him. "Move, you blasted elf!"

The blasted elf just chuckled as he hobbled towards the stream. But when they got to the bank, Legolas was quite puzzled to see no buckets of laundry waiting there for him to wash. He cocked his head to one side. "Well, what do you expect me to do here, Budal? Where are the dirty clothes? Did you lose them all after I threw them in that day?" he asked with a grin.

"No, elf. I expect you to take a bath," Budal replied with a sneer.

Legolas blinked. "You want me to take a bath," he repeated the order, slightly dumbfounded.

"You heard me! Now go wash yourself!"

His arms folded across his bare chest, Legolas stared at the man. "And why is that, pray tell? I know I have dirt in my hair and grime on my skin but I don't stink like _you _do."

Budal exploded. He put his two fat palms against Legolas shoulders and shoved. "Just do it!"

The elf stumbled backward and into the water. Instead of getting angry, Legolas simply laughed. "Why, Budal, I didn't know you're quite vain!"

Then, still grinning, Legolas began to clean himself. As Budal watched with his usual glare firmly in place, the elf rinsed his hair and scrubbed his body clean. The cold water felt so good against his skin, cleansing and rejuvenating him inside out after a full month of wearing the same filth. Before this, he had been able to wash only his face while fetching the water or doing the laundry.

"That's enough. Get up here, elf," Budal called out a while later.

Legolas kept sitting in the freezing water, completely ignoring the biting cold that started to rattle his bones. "I'm not finish."

"Yes, you are. Now, get up here!" the man practically screamed the order.

Legolas sighed loudly as he stood and stepped onto the bank, wringing his damp hair. "You are such a spoilsport. I was having so much fun just now."

"Fun? So, you want fun, eh? Don't worry, elf. Gervas has planned something _fun_ especially for you," said Gervas with a peculiar smile.

A sudden feeling of apprehension stabbed the elf at the man's words. He couldn't help but feel slightly disturbed to see the odd gleam in Budal's eyes. He wondered what they were up to now to make his life more miserable. But whatever their plan would be, Legolas was not afraid to face it. In fact, he was curious to know what they would do to curb his newfound spirit.

Two men joined Budal, and the three of them took the elf to a building opposite the tavern. Legolas' steps faltered a little when he recognized the drab looking two-storey structure. He knew from his previous observation that it was the village only brothel, a place where the men went to have their pleasure of the flesh.

"Get in." Budal roughly shoved Legolas forward, nearly sending the elf to his knees.

Frowning, Legolas looked up at the gaudy looking curtains and draperies hanging all over the place. Several men were seen sprawling on the couches and even on the floor, either asleep or intoxicated. Obviously, business had been good last night. The rooms above were fully booked that the customers had to have it downstairs. Snoring, with silly grin on their faces, the men were in various stages of undress, a woman or two snuggling close to their sides.

"Why am I here?" Legolas curtly asked, feeling extremely anxious for being in such a bawdy surroundings. _What do they want me to do this time? _he asked inwardly_._

Grinning, Budal grabbed the elf's arm and dragged him up the stairs. "You will see."

Clenching his teeth, Legolas asked no more and let Budal take him to a chamber at one end of the corridor. The man knocked once and called put, "Giselle?"

A woman answered and bid them in. Budal opened the door and pushed Legolas into the room before him, the other two men following.

"Oh, he's here! The darling elf!" A woman rose from in front of a vanity mirror and came towards them, her hips swaying. She was clad only in her undergarments, her face blotched with rouge.

Rooted to the floor, Legolas frowned when she reached up and trailed her fingers down the side of his face. "He is so handsome from afar. But up close, he's incredibly ravishing! What a beautiful creature you are!"

Legolas flinched when her fingers moved lower to trail the broad span of his chest and the flat pane of his belly. "Oh, my! You are so hard. _Deliciously_ hard," she crooned. "Yes, you will certainly do. You will do just fine."

Scowling, Legolas stepped away from her touch. "_Excuse_ me?"

Ignoring the elf's obvious ire, Giselle turned to Budal. "My girls and I have been waiting for him. The girls will be so excited that he is finally here! I'll go and rouse them. In the mean time, secure him to the bed."

As the woman walked out, Budal and the men grabbed hold of the elf and dragged him towards the four-poster bed that stood in the middle of the room. Panicked, Legolas struggled like mad. "Hey! What are you doing? Let go!"

Budal clouted the elf across the face. "Quiet, elf! You should thank us for this, you know," the man snapped as he and his friends quickly worked together to attached Legolas' manacles to the bedposts.  "If you ask me, I'd rather have you killed for your impertinence! But Gervas thinks that you are still useful for something else."

Still groggy from the blow, Legolas blinked repeatedly to clear the stars from his vision. "What…are you talking about?"

Their work done, Budal and the men straightened and stared down at the elf now shackled to the bed. "Can't you guess?" Budal taunted with a sneer. "From now on, this is how you give your service to us."

Legolas unconsciously swallowed. He knew he was not going to like the answer but he asked anyway, "And what service would that be?"

"Why, you are going to become a stud!"

He might have not heard it right. "A what?" he asked again, quietly.

"Are you deaf, elf?" Budal growled, while his two friends chuckled to see the obvious shock on Legolas' suddenly paling face. "You are to be a stud. You know, a stud for breeding, like what we usually do to the hot-blooded stallion and the mares in the stable. Giselle's girls are willing to bear your children for a handsome price that Gervas will generously pay them. Our chief figured out that your spawns will help this village a great deal. Imagine, instead of one elf for a slave, we could have more! And if the babies turn out to be girls, then all the better. We never have elven-whore before. I'd like to taste one, if you got my meaning."

Legolas' fury ignited. He snarled and cursed at the men, thrashing wildly against his bonds. "That is not going to happen!" he yelled. "I'd rather die than let you use me in such a way! You won't succeed!"

The men laughed louder. "We'll see, elf. We'll see," Budal replied, smiling.

Giselle chose that moment to reappear. Several young women were tailing after her, looking so excited they were practically jumping up and down with joy. They leaped onto the bed and surrounded the supine elf, running their hands all over his body.

"Oh, he's so gorgeous!"

"Look at his hair! It's like spun gold…"

"His eyes! My, my. I never saw eyes that color before. It's like pewter!"

Legolas sputtered indignantly as the women swarmed over him, tugging at his hair, stroking his face and caressing his skin. One of them even boldly splayed her hand over his chest, playfully twitching his hardened nipple. Completely immobile with his arms stretched above his head and his ankles fastened down, Legolas could do nothing to stop their eager roaming hands.

"Ai! Stop! You are smothering me!" he shouted. "Get off me, ladies!"

"_Ladies_?" The woman called Giselle cocked one eyebrow. "I've never been called a lady before. But if you want me to be a lady, then I will gladly obey…_my lord_."

Legolas' eyes widened when Giselle leaned down to kiss his lips. He tried to yank his face away but the woman held his head still, suffocating him with her heady presence. The other girls started to giggle, pushing at one another to get their turn to kiss the elf.

Budal and his friends just laughed. "Looks like you don't need us here," the man said. "Well, _ladies_, enjoy the feast. And be sure you make Gervas some elven brats."

Still laughing, the men left the room, leaving the elf completely at the women's mercy.

Legolas was very furious. And, truthfully, he was also terrified. He had had a terrible experience under the hands of men once, losing his innocence as well as his dignity. He had attempted suicide because of it, and the tragedy—as what he liked to call it—still haunted him to this day. Never would he think that such violation upon him would repeat itself—by the _women_.

_These humans are crazy!_ he thought as he glared at the lot.

But the women seemed not to notice his anger, as their hands kept exploring every inch of his body. Somehow, in all the confusion, his leggings—his only clothing—was yanked off him, leaving him completely bare to their lustful eyes. The women instantly shrieked with delight at what they saw.

"My goodness! Look at _that_!"

"Oh, my! He's so wonderful!"

"Grrr…_scrumptious_!"

"All right, girls, listen up," Giselle suddenly announced, clapping her hands to get the other women's attention. "We are not going anywhere this way. We shall do this by turn. Who wants to go first?"

The women instantly raised their hands, pointing at themselves.

"Me, first!"

"No, let me! Let me!"

"I want to go first! You wait your turn!"

Giselle sighed and shook his head as the women began to squabble with one another. She clapped her hands again before they could come to blow. "Girls! Every one of you will get your turn, trust me. But look at him. He doesn't seem like he's willing to bed _any _one of us, don't you think?"

They all turned to stare at the elf who lay sprawled lewdly on top of the mattress.

Ignoring the humiliation that their ogling inflicted in him, Legolas schooled his features to remain composed so the women could not see his fear and anger. "I never said I'm not willing to bed any one of you. I've been away from my lady for far too long that I don't really care which one of you will have me first," he said in a calm voice, shrugging with nonchalance. "It's just that I'm not used to being bound like this while doing it, if you know what I mean?"

The women went silent at his words. They looked skeptically at one another.

Thinking quickly, Legolas pressed forward to grab their empathy, knowing that these women could be his only chance to escape. "Look, ladies, I'm not dead. You can see that by yourself. I'm as hard as a rock now. I will explode if you don't get down to it right away. But I need my hands free so I can please my mate. Get my meaning?"

As the other women murmured excitedly between themselves, Giselle rubbed her chin as she pondered. "You speak the truth, elf? Do you really want to please us?"

"Yes!" Legolas cried out and began to writhe on the bed. "Please…Giselle… Your kiss has turned me on! You have to let me touch you! I can not bear to let you take me without pleasing you in return!"

As her 'girls' looked on enviously, Giselle smiled as she leaned over the elf, her lips hovering seductively above his. "Really? Do you want me now, elf?"

"Yes!" Legolas moaned and closed his eyes, his neck arching as if he were in ecstasy. "Kiss me, Giselle. And let me touch you…"

Without turning her head, Giselle told the rest of the women, "Leave us!"

Naturally, they started to protest. "But, Giselle…"

"I said leave!" the elder woman shouted in return. "You all will get your turn…_after_ I've had mine."

Loudly complaining, the women shuffled to the door and walked out. "You didn't need to call us just now if you already planned to have him all for yourself!" one of them said with a pout.

"Call me if you are through with him, Giselle!" the other woman managed to shout before the door slammed shut.

Giselle grinned down at the elf. "Now, where were we?"

"My hands," Legolas stated, his eyes still closed.

"Promise me you'll not run away?"

"Ai! I don't even have the strength to stand, let alone walk!"

Giggling, Giselle reached up and began to untie the rope that bound Legolas' shackles to the bedpost.

"Quick, Giselle. I need to touch you now…" Legolas' breathing grew heavier, urging the woman to work faster at the bonds.

"There. You are free," Giselle finally announced and threw the ropes to the floor. She laid herself full length on top of him.

Legolas lowered his arms with a grateful sigh. "Thank you, Giselle," he said as he tenderly cupped her cheeks. "Not so smart, are you?"

Her smile faltered at that. "What did you say?"

Legolas didn't respond. Instead, he placed his right thumb at her neck, and pressed against a nerve point there, a trick he had learned from his father. Her eyes widened when she understood his intention, and started to struggle. But Legolas was stronger. Seconds later, Giselle slump face down onto the mattress beside him, unconscious.

"I said, you are not so smart," Legolas muttered with a shake of his head as he pushed himself to a sitting position, shoving Giselle's legs off him. "I can't believe you actually fell for that ploy. _Women._"

He reached over and quickly worked to untie the ropes that bound his leg shackles to the bedposts. Not long after, he was standing beside the bed, naked and sweating. He quickly looked around the room, searching for his missing leggings. He found the garment lying in a heap at one corner, ripped and torn beyond repair. 

_Now what?_ he thought, quickly searching for other means to cover himself, thinking of jumping out the window afterwards. But before he could snatch the coverlet off the bed, the door suddenly burst open and one of Gissele's girls rushed inside. "Sorry to disturb you, Giselle. I left my shawl in here and…"

Her voice trailed off when she saw Legolas standing and Giselle lying facedown on the bed. She gasped out loud. "You kill her!"

Before Legolas could stop her, she whirled around and ran out the door, screaming, "Help! The elf killed Giselle! Help me!"

Wasting no more time, Legolas rushed for the opened window and climbed over the sill. He jumped off to land nimbly on his feet twenty feet below. But by then, the woman's scream of alarm had roused everyone to full attention.

"That's him!" the humans shouted when they caught sight of him. "Get him! Get the elf!"

Legolas bolted. He knew that his effort might be futile, but still he ran, heading for the woods that surrounded the village. The shackles on his legs prevented him from taking long, graceful strides, costing him valuable time. But if he could lose himself among the greeneries, his chances for escape would be…

Legolas cried out suddenly when a sheer pain bit into his right calf. He fell down hard onto the ground, His run towards freedom instantly cut short. Gritting his teeth from the agony, Legolas glanced down and saw that an arrow had struck him, undoubtedly came from the bow of one of his guards. The wound was now bleeding heavily, throbbing fast to the pace of his heartbeat.

It took no time at all for the villagers to arrive and gather around him. They stared angrily at the naked elf, lying winded and bleeding on the ground at their feet, grimacing with pain. The humans were cursing and shouting at Legolas, yanking at his hair and kicking him all over, when Gervas and Budal pushed through the rowdy crowd.

"Silence!" Gervas roared. As the crowd quieted down, Gervas directed his glare at the elf. Still panting with exertion and fear, Legolas met the man's stare without flinching.

"So, you tried to escape," Gervas said, his eyes glittering with anger.

"I just couldn't resist it," Legolas daringly replied. "Your company sickens me so."

His eyes narrowing, Gervas reached down and grabbed the arrow shaft that protruded from Legolas' wound. He gave it a vicious twist, causing the elf to cry out in pain.

"You killed Giselle," the man stated, again twisting the arrow.

Legolas bit his lips to keep himself from screaming. "She's…not dead…Look carefully…She's just…unconscious…"

Gervas smiled without humor. "Not dead, you say? Good. Then, you shall live." The man straightened and turned to Budal. "String him up in the market place. Let the people do as they please."

"My pleasure," Budal replied with a grin. At that, the man yanked at the shackles around Legolas' wrists and started to drag him away, completely ignoring the arrow shaft in the elf's wound that scraped against the ground as he did so.

Another wave of agony hit Legolas then, causing black spots to appear in front of his vision. He thought he was going to get seriously sick then and there, but everything slowly faded to blessed nothingness.****

**TBC….**

**Okay. That was quite wild. Anybody wants to kill me?**

**A surprise chapter for you all tomorrow!**


	7. 7

**Dur**** En Thurin Naur : Here's a direct flight ticket bound for Kuala Lumpur, first class. Now get your butt on that plane and come here and kill my boss, pronto!**

**Enigma Jade : I like the image too. Eep! BDSM!**

**Itsuki**** Tachibana : Hug you back!**

**Karina**** :**** No, they won't bother to dress him again. What for? His body is too beautiful to hide! **

**Kayo :**** You, evil, you! LOL! Can't get enough of him naked, can you?**

**Legolas**** Greenleaf : Get use to the cliff, mate!**

**Sailor Elf : I am going to make you scream at the end of this chapter! You'll see how close you are, mellon. You are going to scream!**

**Deana :**** Are you still speechless?  I'm afraid _this_ chapter will make you faint. Be prepared.**

**Astalder27 :**** You can't be any of those women because all the parts have been taken—by _me_! Ha! Ha!**

**Szhismine**** :**** Holy crap indeed. It _is_ a close call.**

**LegolasLover2003 :**** Karl Urban is in 'Bourne Supremacy'? Oh, I just can't wait! Imagine, a devil Eomer! Woo-hoo!**

**AbbiCat14 :**** Okay, girl, _this _is the longest review I've ever received! (Huggles huggles) Yeah, I guess you can say that I got the idea for that women-all-over-Leggy-scene from Leggy's fans out there and…oops. Did I say _women_? Sorry, I mean no offense but women _do_ act that way around handsome and delicious superstars. Exhibit A; Orli. Exhibit B; Orli again. LOL!**

**Aranel**** of Mirkwood : I don't really like Button too. Well, he has talent, good looks, great bod, but…I don't know. He just doesn't attract me that way. And the words that mostly come out of his mouth are truly annoying! He's quite a snob, don't you think? As for Kimi getting married, _I_ wished I were the bride! He! He!**

**######################################################**

It was late afternoon that day, right before dusk, when a lone rider entered the village.

The villagers stared with awe and curiosity at the black-clad stranger. He was riding a beautiful white mare, his gloved hands gentle and sure at the reins. A long sword was strapped to his waist, while a long bow and a quiver of arrows were fastened to his back. From the way he dressed, the people deduced that he was a Haradrim warrior. He wore a turban on his head, with the long scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face so that only his deep blue eyes could be seen. And those eyes were not missing anything as he surveyed the people around him.

As the villagers murmured excitedly between them, impressed with his palpable charisma and the richness of his attire, the rider moved on until he reached the opened area of the market place. He reined in his mount and stared quietly at the naked figure who was hanging several feet off the ground from a wooden pole.

Legolas weakly raised his head when he sensed the stranger's eyes on him. His own silver eyes glinting, the elf met the stranger's gaze head on, daring the man to torment him like what the villagers had done to him all day.

As soon as Budal had strung him up to the pole that morning, the villagers wasted no time to punish the poor elf. They pelted him with stones and rotten vegetables, stabbed the sole of his feet with forks and knives until he bled, hit him with horsewhips until hundreds of welts covered his body. Expecting to hear the elf's scream of pain, some of them even cruelly yanked and pushed at the arrow shaft that was still buried in his wound until it snapped.

But Legolas never screamed. Not even once. His dignity might have been completely stripped off him, but he still had his honor and sheer force of will within him. The humans wanted him to beg and cry out for mercy. But stubbornly, Legolas held on to the last shred of his resolve, even if it would kill him in the end.

Legolas could no longer feel his arms after they had been stretched taut over his head for hours. But he could feel his legs, feel the throbbing pain in his wound. Without looking, he knew that blood was still dripping off his feet, turning the ground below him red.  His entire body was on fire, and he realized that he was burning with fever. His head was heavy and his mind fuzzy, but still his spirit flared.

And that was what the stranger saw in the slave's slightly glazed eyes. Spirit. Unbroken even though defeated. Smiling behind his mask, the stranger turned when a man who walked with a slight limp quickly approached him.

Gervas eyed the stranger up and down, taking stock of the other man's obvious wealth and authority. _This is not a simple man_, he thought with admiration. _This man is a noble warrior of the Haradrim_.

"Welcome, stranger," Gervas greeted with a smile. "I am Gervas, the head of this village."

"And I'm called Rowan," the stranger replied in a deep rough voice, his head inclined to one side. "I'm pleased to finally meet you, Gervas. I've heard about you, the brave Easterling warrior who survived the War."

Gervas smiled with pleasure. "You did? Then I'm honored to hear that. I still miss the old days, when Haradrim and Easterlings alike rode together, neck to neck. We were good then. We were great."

His face grew sad a little. "Unlucky for us, we lost in that War.  Our chieftain—my father—was killed, and I am left with this cursed limp, all because of that creature!" said Gervas, pointing at the hanging elf.

To his credit, Legolas didn't reply even when he had heard the entire exchange. He simply smiled crookedly back at them, totally unperturbed.

Pulling his gaze off the elf, Rowan nodded. "And is that why you punish him so?"

Gervas harrumphed, his hands unconsciously reaching up to pat the head of Rowan's mare. "That's the whole idea, but he is so stubborn! We made him our slave but Legolas can't be disciplined. He rebels a lot and starts to give us some headaches. Apart from killing him, we don't know what else to do to make him submit to us."

"Hmm." Rowan held his chin as he pondered. "What a coincidence."

Gervas looked up with interest. "What do you mean by that?"

Rowan glanced at Legolas and could see that the elf was carefully listening to every word they said. He smiled again before replying, "I travel out here from my home in the desert to look for my brother's murderer. They told me that my brother was murdered by an elf prince named Legolas. Is that him?"

Gervas eyes widened. His gaze snapped to and fro between them. "You are looking for _him_?" he asked, surprised.

Chuckling in reply, Rowan urged his mount to get closer to the elf. Legolas flinched slightly when the mare's snout nudged his belly. He kept his mouth shut even though he truly didn't know what Rowan was talking about. _What brother? And when did I murder him? _he wondered, glaring at the man of Harad.

"I still can't believe how lucky I am," Rowan muttered, gazing steadily at Legolas' white face. "This is so easy. I never thought I would find you this fast."

Turning back to Gervas, Rowan said, "I want him."

Gervas blinked. He exchanged glances with Budal and several other men who stood nearby. "You _want_ him?" Gervas then asked Rowan, stupidly.

"Yes," Rowan responded. His right hand immediately went to a pouch tied to his belt. "Here, I'll give you some gold in exchange."

Gervas quickly caught the pouch that Rowan tossed at him. As his men curiously looked on, Gervas ripped the pouch open. True to Rowan's words, the pouch contained several gold nuggets, heavy in weight and value.

_Oh, my_. Gervas' eyes widened. _I'm rich_.

"It's still not enough?" Rowan asked when Gervas' stunned silence dragged on.

Gervas' mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Then he swallowed and finally able to croak, "No. I mean, _yes_! It's enough. In fact, it's _more_ than enough. The elf is yours. Take him."

"Good. Then cut him down."

At Gervas' signal, Budal and the men hastened to the pole to release the elf. Not long after, Legolas dropped to the ground with a grunt, his head spinning and his injured leg screaming.

"Get on your feet, elf!" Budal growled, viciously kicking at Legolas' bare backside. "Now go to your new master!"

The elf winced from the blow but said nothing. He simply glared at the burly man as he painfully rose, wishing that they would meet again in different circumstances so he could kill him.

Gervas fished something out of his pocket and tossed it at Rowan. "Here are the keys to his manacles. But you need to think twice before you take the irons off him. I have to warn you, he is quite cunning. He will attack you the minute your back is turn."

Rowan nodded. "Don't worry. I know his kind. He will not get the better of me. I'll see to it."

Without a word, Legolas lifted his gaze and stared defiantly at the Haradrim.

"Are you going to kill him?" Gervas suddenly asked after he finished recounting the gold nuggets. He took an involuntarily step back when Rowan leveled his intense gaze at him.

"Kill him? Why should I kill the elf when he needs to be alive to suffer what I plan for him? Trust me, he will wish he were dead."

"Oh." Gervas blinked. "Very well. Good luck, then."

"I don't need luck, but thanks for wishing me that." Rowan chuckled. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to be on my way. A pleasure doing business with you, Gervas."

"Same here."

Rowan now focused his full attention on the elf. He barked, "Move it!"

After sending the Easterlings his final glare, Legolas turned and began to limp out of the village, Rowan riding on top of his mare not far behind him. The crowd was silent all around them, intently watching the passing of the Haradrim and his prisoner.

Gazing directly ahead, Legolas had his back ramrod straight, leaving the village with his pride still intact even though he was completely naked and in great pain, having been badly treated and deeply humiliated by the humans. He was still alive, that was the most important thing. As long as he still breathed, there was still a chance for him to return safely home—even if he had a valiant Haradrim warrior to go through. He would find a way to escape. Somehow.

Not long after, as they were entering the woods and the village had disappeared behind them, the Haradrim suddenly called out, "Stop!"

Legolas stopped walking, swaying unsteadily on his feet. His injured leg was killing him, and his body still hurt all over. He felt so lightheaded from pain and hunger he couldn't think straight, but he put himself on full alert when he heard Rowan dismounting behind him. His bleeding fists clenching, Legolas waited patiently for the Haradrim to come closer, all prepared to jump him.

When he felt Rowan's hand on his shoulder, Legolas quickly spun and brought his fists upwards, clouting his captor across the jaw. Rowan cried out in surprise and fell back. Without hesitation, Legolas made a lunge for the man's sword. Aware of the elf's intention, Rowan rolled and nimbly leaped to his feet, causing Legolas to grab only thin air.

"Legolas, stop!" Rowan cried out.

But the elf wasn't listening. Growling in anger and determination, Legolas whirled around and gathered his footing, facing the Haradrim once more. His eyes glinting with fury, Legolas leaped on full force, sending both of them on to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. They rolled around in the dirt, cursing and grunting, trying to pin the other down.

"Ai! Cease this, Legolas!" Rowan shouted again. "You have to listen to me!"

"I'll kill you!" Legolas yelled in reply, tightening his hands around Rowan's neck.

The stronger of the two, Rowan easily twisted until Legolas lay underneath him. "Peace, Legolas. You need to hear to what I have to say."

"No, I don't!" Legolas braced his knees against Rowan's stomach and kicked, sending the man stumbling off him. Getting back to his feet, Legolas was about to pounce upon Rowan again when the elf started to realize something.

The man's voice had suddenly changed, and it sounded eerily familiar.

Even his movements looked familiar.

And his eyes, those lovely cobalt blue eyes, also looked _terribly_ familiar.

Rowan quickly snatched the turban and scarf off his head, fully revealing his face to Legolas' eyes. "Legolas, it's me!" he exclaimed. "I didn't come here to harm you. I came here to save you, to take you away from this place."

Legolas' entire body began to tremble, his head shaking in disbelief. He stumbled backwards, so shock he was at the sight in front of him. "No…this…this can't be…This is impossible…You…you are playing with me…whoever you are…"

"No, no, no!" Rowan moved closer and gripped Legolas' shoulders. "Look into my eyes, Legolas. Tell me what you see. Feel me. Breathe my scent. I'm not lying to you. It _is_ me, unbelievable though it is."

Legolas gulped with difficulty. He truly wanted to believe what he was seeing, but he was afraid that the wonderful image would instantly disappear to be replaced by the same Haradrim who had just bought him from the Easterlings.

Still, he reached up uncertainly to run his hands through the long raven hair that had come tumbling over wide, strong shoulders—freed from the confinement of the turban. With a slight whimper, Legolas gently touched the delicately pointed ears, the aristocratic nose, the prominent cheekbones. Every contour of the handsome face was as familiar as his own features. He leaned closer and took a long sniff.

Instantly he knew. And he started to believe.

_Valar__! It is really him!_

"K…Kel?" Legolas whispered tentatively, wishing like mad that he was not wrong.

Keldarion smiled as he lovingly stroked Legolas' temple. "Yes, little brother. It is I."

That proved too much for Legolas to take. His eyes rolled upward as he slumped, and would have hit the ground hard if Keldarion had not been able to catch him in time.****

**TBC…**

**Err…is that screaming I hear?**

**I'll be working outstation this weekend, so see you all next Monday!**


	8. 8

**I'm very…uh…glad to know you all freaked out after that last chapter. Love to hear the screams and shrieks and fainting and murder threats! He! He! **

**THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful and overwhelming reviews! And I'm so sorry for not responding to any of them because they are so many! Wow! Besides, I'm supposed to submit my monthly financial report to my boss today, not logging in to the board and typing this thing. (I had to lock my door to stop him from bursting in!) But whose fault is that? _Someone_ out there still fails to kill that boss of mine! LOL!**

**Now, on the story.**** I promise to reply your reviews in the next chapter.**

**####################################################################**

It was already past midnight, but the tall raven-haired elf was still wide awake.

Keldarion put more twigs into the fire, stoking it to built bigger flame. Then he stepped back and cast a leisurely glance around him. The surrounding woods were blanketed in darkness, completely silent and still saved for the sound of the singing crickets and the whisper of the breeze among the trees.

Legolas chose that moment to moan.

Keldarion quickly turned and knelt beside his brother. He placed the back of his hand against Legolas' cheek, frowning when he felt the heat. Concerned yet not overly worried, he took off the cold compress off his brother's burning forehead and replaced it with a fresh damp cloth.

Feverish, Legolas was still unconscious, his eyes closed and his head moving restlessly from side to side. He had not awakened when Keldarion brought him to this secluded place under a large oak tree. After removing the hated manacles, the elder prince immediately saw to his brother's many injuries, treating them as gently and thoroughly as he could. The wound in Legolas' calf was now neatly bandaged, the arrowhead already dug out of the festering flesh. Keldarion had even dressed Legolas in loose fitting leggings and shirt, before wrapping two layers of blanket around his brother's shuddering body.

Sitting down with his back against the tree, Keldarion then pulled Legolas onto his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around his brother. His blue eyes sad, Keldarion gazed down at Legolas' face in silent.

_Ai, Legolas_. He sighed, tenderly stroking his brother's head. _How strong you are, even after all that you have gone through_.

When Keldarion first saw his brother—hanging naked from the pole in the Easterling's market place, he had been so furious he nearly killed someone. But he had reined in his wrath, sticking close to his original plan, and had smoothly gotten Legolas out of that terrible place without further mishap.

His brother might hate him afterwards for the way Keldarion had treated him so abominably, by buying him off from the Easterlings as if he were some kind of trade goods, and pushing him to walk on his bleeding feet through the village streets, completely nude. But Keldarion had no better choice. He had disguised himself as a Haradrim and he had to play well his part, even though it was the hardest thing he had ever done. Showing his pity and compassion to his brother would only attract suspicions and could blow his cover.

Keldarion had remained stoic and calm as Legolas limped ahead in front of him, heavily bleeding and badly hurt. But inside him, Keldarion's heart was breaking to pieces. The moment they were out of the village boundary, he had immediately called a halt and quickly dismounted, rushing to get to his brother to embrace him wholeheartedly after the successful ploy. But he had not expected Legolas to attack him and try to kill him!

_Well, who wouldn't?_ Keldarion chuckled as he rubbed his still aching jaw, amazed by his brother's tenacious will and fiery spirit. His eyes filled with pride, he continued to gaze down at Legolas' slightly flushed face.

_Oh, Legolas. How I miss you so!_ He wanted to shout, but bit his lips instead as tears welled in his eyes. He leaned down and buried his nose in Legolas' hair, inhaling his brother's wonderful scent that he had always remembered.

"Kel?"

Keldarion raised his head at Legolas' sudden whisper. He saw that his brother's eyes were now wide opened, staring back at him in great wonder.

"Kel," Legolas croaked, his hand trembling as he reached up to touch Keldarion's face. "This…this is really you?"

Nodding, Keldarion smiled through his tears. "Yes, brat. Who else do you expect? I came here to save your hide, just like old times."

Legolas softly chuckled. "Yes. Just like…old times."

But then, almost abruptly, his face crumbled as he broke into heart wrenching sobs, heavy tears falling freely onto his cheeks. "Oh, Kel…please…Valar…please hold me…Kel, please…"

"I am, Legolas. I am," Keldarion crooned, also weeping, as he embraced his brother, rocking him gently like a mother would her babe. "I'm here, brother. I'm always here."

Clutching desperately at his brother's tunic, Legolas continued to cry heavily as if his heart would break. All those years of greatly missing Keldarion—pining for his deep love and fierce protection—was clearly evident in his sorrowful weeping. His entire body shook with his sobs, his tears rolling fast down his face. Keldarion's sudden return was like a godsend to him, a miracle. He was not sure how it could be possible, and he didn't really care to know.  He just knew that his soul was now complete, after it had been torn apart when Keldarion abruptly sailed to Valinor over ten years ago.

The two brothers could not speak for a long time, so overwhelmed they were by their bittersweet reunion. Only the sound of their weeping and broken sobs filled the night. Even the crickets went silent and shied away, giving Thranduil's sons some privacy to express their sorrow and grief.

"Legolas, come now." Keldarion finally pulled himself together after almost an eternity later. He grinned down at his brother, brushing away Legolas' tears. "You had better stop crying before you get dehydrated."

With a vehement shake of his head, Legolas buried his face deeper into Keldarion's chest. "No, please don't let go…Not yet…"

Keldarion chuckled as he cupped his brother's cheeks. "Relax, brat. I'm not going anywhere." Then, sighing, the elder prince wrapped his arms once more around Legolas, hugging him tight. "Lord, I've missed you so much! You and father both."

His chest still hitching from the aftermath of his weeping, Legolas blinked and reached up to touch Keldarion's face. "How…? How could this be possible? I thought you…You were supposed to be…"

"In Valinor, I know. It's a long story, brother. I will tell you all about it later," said Keldarion. He caught Legolas' wandering fingers and brought them to his lips. Then, still cradling his brother, Keldarion reached over for the flask that he had left near to the fire to keep it warm. "But right now, I want you to drink some medicated tea I've steeped for you earlier."

Legolas made a face at his brother's words. "_Tea_? I hate tea. Especially the one that _you_ made. Don't you have anything else? A keg of beer, perhaps?"

Keldarion froze and blinked. Then he burst out laughing. "Cute. Very cute, little brother. Don't you remember what happened the first _and_ only time you drink that stuff?"

Giving his brother a weak grin, Legolas chuckled. "Of course, I remember. I had the worst hangover ever! Come to think of it, I'm having it still, if the great throbbing in my head right now were any indication."

Keldarion's face darkened at that. He could clearly recall the Easterlings' cruelties towards his brother. He saw how terribly pale Legolas still was, how dreadful his injuries were. There were also glimmers of agony and shame in Legolas' eyes that he valiantly tried to hide, but Keldarion wasn't fooled.

Clenching his fist around the flask, Keldarion put it to Legolas' lips. "Drink," he curtly ordered.

Legolas raised his eyebrows at Keldarion sudden change of mood, but he didn't comment. He drank the tea, taking careful sips at first before settling into considerable gulps. Despite of what he had claimed earlier, the tea felt good to his dry throat, sweet to his tongue and quickly warming his entire system. But then, he started to grow exceptionally drowsy.

"Did you…put something…in that tea?" Legolas mumbled as his eyes started to droop, his body relaxing.

With a slight smile, Keldarion gently lowered Legolas' head onto a folded blanket. "You need to sleep. And rest. You have been badly hurt, Legolas, and now your body needs to heal. You'll be safe here. The trees will look after you until I get back."

Legolas blinked, trying hard to stay awake. "What are you saying? Where…where are you going?"

"I have to settle an unfinished business…with a pack of Easterlings." Keldarion's voice sounded harsh and bitter at those words, causing Legolas to stare.

The younger prince started to realize then that something had changed in his brother during the ten long years of their separation. Keldarion still looked the same, yet he also looked…_different_. His eyes still held that familiar kind gaze, but they were also closely guarded, as if he was keeping a great pain that he didn't want to share with anyone. Legolas wanted to puzzle over this further but he was fast growing increasingly groggy.

"Don't fight it, Legolas," Keldarion gently admonished, arranging the blankets more securely around his brother. "Sleep. Just go to sleep."

Keldarion bending down to kiss his forehead was the last thing Legolas remembered before he drifted out of consciousness.

He must have slept the entire night, undisturbed, because when he woke up the next day, the sun was already high on its zenith. Even under the heavy shade of the large tree, Legolas could still feel its warmth pelting at his skin. It was truly a bright beautiful day, even more so now that he was free, no longer a slave and prisoner to the Easterlings.

Legolas struggled to sit up, groaning when his injuries screamed their protest at his movements. Instantly he heard someone chuckle.

"You should take it easy, brother," Keldarion said with a smile. He was just returning from the nearby stream after filling the waterskins. "You still need a lot of healing to do."

"I'll be fine," Legolas replied, scowling slightly. He carefully moved until his back was leaning against the hard bark of the tree. A grateful sigh escaped his lips. Even such a simple feat was taxing him overmuch, causing his limbs to tremble with fatigue. Perspiration dotted on his forehead, and his face had turned another shade of pale.

"Stubborn creature," Keldarion stated with a shake of his head. He put down the waterskins and grabbed a clean towel from his pack. Dampening the cloth, he then gently ran it all over his brother's face and neck.

Legolas sighed again. "That feels good."

"You will feel a lot better if you have something in your belly." Keldarion turned to rummage in his bag of rations, and pulled out a package that he quickly unwrapped.

Legolas' eyes widened at the loaf of bread that his brother showed him. "You are right. I _must_ eat something, that bread in particular. Oh, my! It looks delicious!"

"Wait, brother," Keldarion put up a hand when Legolas eagerly reached for the food. "No solid food until I'm sure your stomach can take it. When was the last time you ate?"

Looking slightly hurt, Legolas answered, "Two, three days ago. I remember eating a rotten cabbage the tavern owner threw at my head. Look, I'm starved enough already. Now give me that thing!"

Keldarion's heart broke when he saw helpless tears shimmering in his brother's eyes. "Legolas, you know I don't plan to keep you starved any more than you already are," he said softly. "Let me soak this bread with tea first so that it will be more soft and tender for you to take."

"Oh. Right." Legolas blinked. "Sorry for that outburst."

Keldarion smiled. "I understand. I know how it feels to starve."

Thoughtful, Legolas stared hard at his brother as the elder elf took out a bowl and began the process of saturating the bread. "What do you mean by that, Kel?" Legolas asked with a frown.

Instead of answering, Keldarion pinched a piece of the now damp bread and fed it to Legolas. "Here. Open your mouth, brat."

Legolas obeyed and took the offering, chewing and swallowing slowly even though he wanted to gobble down the entire bread in just one go, so hungry he was.

Keldarion kept feeding his brother in silence, his face impassive. He was hiding something, Legolas was sure, and it started to drive him crazy because the Keldarion he knew never kept anything from him. The brothers were so close that there had been no secrets between them. Until now.

Just as Legolas was about to express his mind on this, Keldarion put the empty bowl away and went to get something lying on the ground beside his pack. "I got these back for you," he said when he returned to Legolas' side.

Legolas' mouth dropped open to see the long bow that Keldarion placed on his lap. "My bow! The one I received from Lady Galadriel! You found it!"

Keldarion smiled to see his brother's face lit up with joy. As the elder prince watched, Legolas ran his fingers up and down his favorite weapon. "How? I mean…" Gulping uneasily, he stared directly at Keldarion. "You went back to the village last night, didn't you?"

Keldarion shrugged. "I told you I had an unfinished business to settle with the Easterlings. Only that  they never knew that I was there. And now, Gervas doesn't walk with a limp anymore. In fact, he will never walk again. I've cut some of the arteries at the back of his knees. He will be lucky if he died in another couple of days."

Legolas could only blink, so stunned he was to hear the icy coldness in Keldarion's voice. No compassion or remorse whatsoever appeared on his face when he said those words.

"The rest of the men who had tortured you were not so lucky, though. I cut their throats while they slept, yet I let them live enough so they could still hear themselves choking in their own blood before they died."

"And…and Budal?" Legolas asked, bracing himself for the answer.

"The last time I checked, he was still hanging from the pole where they hang you yesterday—by his neck."

Silence reigned.

Legolas blinked again, dumbfounded. This was no longer the gentle Keldarion that he knew. This was the new Keldarion who was filled with deep bitterness and scorn. _Something did happen to him_, he thought, staring at Keldarion's handsome yet grim face.

"Kel…" Legolas started, but Keldarion cut him, "I also found this."

Legolas' eyes widened when Keldarion gave him two identical looking ivory-handled daggers. "It's the twin blades!" he exclaimed.

Keldarion chuckled. "Yes, I can see they are."

"But…" Legolas pushed the blades back at Keldarion. "But they were yours to begin with. You gave these to me before you left for Valinor."

At that, Keldarion grew quiet for a long moment. Then he replaced the blades on Legolas' lap, folding his brother's hands over the beautiful weapons. "Yes, I gave these to you. So keep them. They are still yours."

Legolas shook his head. "Kel…"

Keldarion reached up and placed the tips of his fingers on his brother's lips. "There's something you need to know, Legolas. Something _very_ important."

Legolas took Keldarion's hand off his lips, holding it tight like a lifeline. Somehow, the tone of Keldarion's voice didn't bode well in him. "What is it?"

Keldarion took a deep breath, and then looked straight into his brother's trustful eyes before he responded, "I never sailed to Valinor."****

**TBC…**


	9. 9

**Sailor Elf : Your bazooka can do nothing. You need a scud missile.**

**Snow Glory : Nope. No secret mission from Thranduil. Sorry. (Now you make Kel sounds as if he is the new James Bond. LOL!)**

**Irish Anor : No secret. I just eat a bar of chocolate every time I start writing. Hmmm, yummy!**

**Althelas**** :**** Yes, girl, I got your point. winks back at ya!**

**Ieralonde**** :**** Why, thank you so much! Keep on reading and you will know.**

**Fairylady**** :**** I swear to you Legolas is not dreaming. This is real. Keldarion has truly returned.**

**Elven**** Lady Nilturiel : You are getting pretty close!**

**Musicstarlover**** :**** You thought right. And, yes, I love torturing them. (Actually, Kel has not been gone for hundred years, only over ten years. Sounds like forever, right?)**

**Kayo :**** Kel working in your garden? Dancing together in the sprinklers? Ai! Don't make me jealous!**

**LegolasLover2003 :**** Oh my freakin' goodness! Still freak out, aren't you? He! He!**

**Effigy :**** Want to know how correct you are? Read on, mellon.**

**Enigma Jade : No, not the Haradrims. Guess again. (Yes. Please dispose of my boss. He can't stop breathing down my neck!)**

**###################################################**

_I never sailed to Valinor._

Those words echoed, over and over in Legolas' mind.

For a long moment, neither brother said a word. Keldarion's shocking statement seemed to hang gravely above the lengthy silence. Their heavy breathing, the only sound at current, seemed so loud that their ears throbbed from it.

Legolas was so surprised he couldn't think of any appropriate things to say. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly without uttering a sound, his eyes wide as he stared at Keldarion, totally bewildered.

_He never sailed to Valinor_. Legolas was stunned.

_He never sailed to Valinor?_ Now, he was puzzled.

And then, he slowly grew angry. _He never sailed to Valinor!?!?_

"What do you mean, you never sailed to Valinor?!" Legolas finally shouted, his face red.

Keldarion reached out for his brother. "Legolas…"

"Don't touch me!" Legolas slapped at his brother's hand, scooting hastily backwards until he was pressed hard against the tree. "_HOW COULD YOU_?! How could you play with my feelings this way! Blast it, Kel! I mourned you for months! I've cried and cried until my tears had gone dry but now you tell me you never sailed to Valinor?! What the blazes do you take me for? A bloody puppet?!"

"Legolas, please let me explain…"

"Oh, you're going to explain, all right." Legolas folded his arms across his chest, his eyes glinting with fury as he scowled at his brother. "You are going to explain _big_ time! Just tell me no lies…"

"I won't lie to you!" Keldarion shouted back with a glare. "I never did and never will! But if you want to hear the truth, brother, I suggest you prepare yourself because what I'm going to tell you is not pretty."

Legolas bit his lips and avoided his eyes, disconcerted. With a heavy sigh, Keldarion also turned away, his eyes downcast. "Trust me, Legolas. You are my brother, and I love you very much. It was never my intention to play with your feelings this way. It was hard for me to leave you all those years ago. But things just happened without my consent. I lost control of my destiny the moment my ship was on water, heading for the Undying Lands."

Legolas' lips trembled as he recalled that sad day. He could still remember how terribly painful it had been for him to see Keldarion's departure, knowing that he would never return and…But, wait! Keldarion _did_ return!

"My ship was _indeed_ bound for Valinor, Legolas. But, unfortunately, it never got there," Keldarion softly added.

Surprised, Legolas whipped his gaze back at his brother. "What do you mean? What actually happened?"

Keldarion visibly swallowed before he answered. "Our ship was attacked by a large fleet of Corsair ships. Many of us were killed. Some that were still alive were taken captive, me included."

Legolas blinked, his jaw dropping open. "You…you were…"

"Yes, Legolas. They took me prisoner," Keldarion curtly said, his gaze hardened. "I was so vulnerable, so weak from my wounds and sea-longing affliction that I couldn't fight back. They brought me into their lair and made me their slave. They beat me and tortured me when I refused to submit to them. They forced me into hard labor, putting me in irons and chains so I couldn't escape. It was like living in the very heart of Mordor, only Sauron was not the lord. They made me wished I were dead. Valar. They made me wished I had the courage to take my own life! I was treated like an animal, as if I had no honor and pride. Sometimes I _wished_ I were an animal, so I could not feel anything at all. One good thing though, I gradually forgot about my longing for Valinor. The affliction paled in comparison to the great misery I was put in. I prayed and prayed that _someone_ will come for me, but no one did. For five long years, Legolas, I waited. It took me some time to finally realize that I was alone. All alone…"

Long uncomfortable silence reigned once more between the two brothers.

_All alone…___

Legolas' tears fell unnoticed. He stared in disbelief at his brother's impassive face, not realizing that he had turned deathly pale himself.

Keldarion suddenly smiled, sadly. "Now I understand what had prompted you to attempt suicide that day, brother. Now I know what kind of horror you went through when those men violated you. Oh, yes. _Now_ I know."

Feebly shaking his head in dismay as he caught Keldarion's meaning, Legolas scooted forward. He tearfully embraced his elder brother, broken sobs bursting forth from his entire being. "I'm sorry, Kel…I'm so sorry. Believe me, if I had known, I swear I had come for you!" Legolas cried out in sorrow. "I would never abandon you that way. Please, Kel, please forgive me…"

"Why should _you_ be sorry, Legolas? It was not your fault." His own eyes glistening, Keldarion hugged his brother in return. "I do not blame you, little brother. By God, you are the last person I would put blame in all this. You didn't know. In fact, _no one_ knew."

"But I should have sensed that something wrong had happened to you!" Legolas' voice hitched as he collapsed in his brother's embrace. "I thought you were happy in Valinor. I even had _dreams_ about you! Valar, what was wrong with me?!"

Both brothers clung to each other desperately, brokenly weeping, sending out love and pain and comfort back and forth. Their sorrow was so palpable that even the sun hid herself behind the clouds.

"You…you said…you were there for five years…" Legolas still sobbed. "But it has been more than ten years now…since you've been gone. Why didn't you come home? Why did you stay away?"

Keldarion sighed and pulled back. He gently pushed his brother onto the blanket until Legolas fully lay down on his side. "I did not stay away. I just…"

"What?" Legolas gripped Keldarion's arm, stilling him. "Did you think we would turn you away if you returned? We wouldn't do that to you, Kel. Believe me."

"I believe you, brat." Keldarion smiled. "I didn't come home straight away because…"

At this he paused and his gaze grew distant. Then he gave himself a mental shake and continued, "That night I escaped from the Corsairs, I've sworn to myself that I will kill _every_ one of them who had violated me. I stopped being an elf, and disguised myself as a Haradrim mercenary, which made it easy for me to mix with the humans. It gave me more freedom to move about and gained me information about the men I was pursuing."

"How many were they, the men that…?" Legolas bit his lips and shamefully looked away.

"The men who raped me?" Keldarion smiled again, this time without humor. "Ten in all. I was like their favorite plaything in that camp, this once noble born elf prince who thought he was better above all creatures, a fallen victim at last."

"You are still a noble born elf prince, Kel," Legolas interjected as he tightened his hold on Keldarion's arm, feeling the tensing muscles there. Keldarion simply shrugged in reply and gently pried Legolas' hand from his arm. He then held his brother's long tapered fingers within his palm, staring regretfully at the chapped and broken nails.

"Ugly, aren't they?" Legolas said with a weak grin. "That's what I get for doing their laundry and washing their dishes. I also worked in the cornfield, can you believe it?"

"They forced me to work in the mine, chipping at rocks and stones with only a pick axe," said Keldarion next.

"They made me chop loads of firewood everyday. I got blisters to prove it."

"I had a piece of bread and plain water for my breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"I was fed once in three days. If I was lucky, I would find some rotten vegetables among the scraps."

"They put me in a cell, and would let me out at dawn before I returned to it at night."

"They kept me locked inside a small hole, the hole that I had dug myself," said Legolas. "Lord, it was so dark."

Keldarion looked down and saw the expression of great terror on his brother's face. He quickly reached over and pulled Legolas back into his arms. The younger prince had started to tremble anew.

"I couldn't breath," Legolas kept saying. "I thought I would go crazy in the darkness. I couldn't stop screaming the entire first night they put me in there. I nearly killed myself then, banging my head over and over against the steel door."

"Oh, Legolas…" Keldarion couldn't stop his tears from falling then.

"I know how you feel when you say no one came for you, Kel," said Legolas as he gazed sadly at his brother. "I also waited that night, hoping like a pathetic being to be rescued. In the end, I spent one tormenting month with the Easterlings. But you've spent more than that in your own harrowing nightmare. How did you survive, Kel? I know _I_ wouldn't."

"But, Legolas, I survived because of _you_," Keldarion claimed, touching his brother's wet cheeks. "Remember that day, on my departure? I told you to stay alive, no matter what. I told you I want to see you there, in Valinor. Then how could I ask you to stay strong if I myself did not? From the first day they captured me, I did everything I could to run away. But most of all, I tried very hard to stay alive, even when I sometimes found the beckoning of the Hall of Mandos more and more pleasant each day. It's because of you that I'm still here."

Legolas sniffed and closed his eyes, resting his head against his brother's shoulder. "I'm so glad you survived, Kel. And I'm very glad I found you again, after all these years."

"So am I, Legolas. So am I," Keldarion responded, gently rocking his brother.

After a long companionable silence afterwards, Legolas voiced out, "How did you know I was in the Easterlings village?"

Keldarion released his brother and got to his feet. He grabbed the waterskin and took a swig. "I heard the men talking about you in a nearby town," he then replied and sat back down next to his brother, offering Legolas the waterskin. "Obviously, some people from the village who visited the town liked to gloat about their success and couldn't keep their mouth shut. I wasted no time in getting here."

"You came just in time, big brother," Legolas said after he took a long drink. "I didn't know how much longer I would last hanging from that pole. They had great fun putting holes all over me."

"Yes, I know. I saw what they did to you. I watched the village for two whole days, working out my plan to get you out of there." Keldarion's eyes were bleak, and he looked slightly guilty. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from hurting and humiliating you, Legolas. And I'm sorry for treating you like traded goods, but I had no choice…"

"I understand," Legolas cut him off with a smile. "Hey, it works. I'm now free. But I feel bad that you have to part with your treasure of gold…"

"You mean, _this_ gold?" Keldarion took out a pouch from inside his shirt.

Legolas blinked before he burst out laughing. "You stole it back from Gervas! Serves him right!"

Keldarion grinned. "Funny. I never thought much about gold and money while I was a prince. But when I became a mercenary, everything changed. I need these things to buy me food and supplies, to keep a shelter over my head…"

"Then why didn't you just come home?" Legolas pressed again with pleading eyes.

Legolas' gaze was so intense that Keldarion had to look away. "My mission is not finished," he said, staring at a pair of butterflies flying about their makeshift camp. "I've killed all the men who destroyed me saved for one. I still need to find him before I can rest easy."

His eyes never leaving his brother's determined looking face, Legolas steadily reached up to grip Keldarion's right hand. "Count me in, brother. Let me join your mission. And let me use my blades to cleave him in two."

Keldarion opened his mouth to respond but Legolas quickly interrupted, "Don't you dare tell me this is not my concern! I'm involved in this as much as you are! Those men took ten years out of our time together, and I will not permit them to get away with it! Either you take me along with you or I will trail after you wherever you go, mark my words!"

The two brothers glared at each other. And then Keldarion broke into laughter. "Lord, you are still as stubborn as ever!"

"You got _that_ right!"

"Peace, brother. I've put my mission on hold until I've seen you to safety. Which means, I'm taking you home—to your _wife_," Keldarion said, still grinning. "I know you have gotten married to Narasene. In fact, I've heard a lot about you the last few years. You are a lord of your own keep now, aren't you?"

Legolas blanched. "Ai Elbereth. Nara. I almost forgot about her." He stared at his brother with wide, panicked eyes. "She's expecting, you know? Our first child. She's due to give birth any day now."

Keldarion's eyebrows raised and he smiled with pleasure. "Really? Then congratulations. I can't wait to be an uncle."

"We have been trying for _years_, but only now did she conceive. Estel's elixir has helped a great deal and…uh…well, I'll tell you about all of it later," he said, blushing.

Keldarion laughed again. "I can see that she makes you happy."

"Very," Legolas said, as he squeezed his brother's hand. "But I would be much happier if you are home with me."

Keldarion did not reply, but he squeezed his brother's hand in return. And that was more than enough for Legolas.

His elder brother was coming home, he would see to it—even if he had to drag Keldarion along by his pointed ears!****

**TBC…**


	10. 10

**A very quick chapter before the finale!**

**#######################################**

After spending another night under the big oak tree, Legolas had proclaimed himself well enough to travel back to Ithilien. But Keldarion didn't completely agree.

"You are still weak," the elder prince said in exasperation as he watched his brother fumble to mount the grey stallion that Keldarion had managed to steal from the village that night.

Legolas scowled. "I'm fine!" he claimed stubbornly, his face growing paler from the effort.

"Right. And I'm Gimli the dwarf," Keldarion glibly responded, his arms folded across his chest. "You are not fit to ride. You'll only fall flat on your face."

"Better than to fall flat on my butt!" Legolas retorted. "And I'll tell Gimli you insulted him!"

After much grumbling and swearing, Legolas finally succeeded in mounting the horse. He sat there, panting and wincing, his head spinning. Then, after he was sure the earth had stopped moving around him, Legolas arched his eyebrows at his brother. "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's move it."

Keldarion laughed, shaking his head. "Let's see how long you will last on that beast, brother." After he had tied the last of their gear and belongings to his own horse, Keldarion mounted and began to lead the way to Ithilien.

"So," Legolas started several minutes later. "You still have not told me how you escaped the Corsairs."

Sending a sidelong glance to his brother, Keldarion took his time to respond. "I'd rather not talk about it right now. Let's talk about you instead. And father. Tell me, how is he doing?"

Legolas frowned at the way his brother evaded his question, but he chose not to press him any further. "Father is well. Do you know that Mirkwood is now known as Eryn Lasgalen?"

"Yes, I've heard," Keldarion nodded. "Has father's hair turned grey from all your wild adventurous streaks?"

"Not the last time I saw him." Legolas grinned. "But he still has his famous short temper that tempts me enough to make his hair turn red. Remember that henna shampoo incident?"

The two brothers exchanged amused glances and roared with laughter, recalling how flustered their father had been when Legolas had accidentally given him the wrong bottle of shampoo, transforming Thranduil from a blonde into a red-haired!

"How about Commander Linden? Has he finally found a bride for himself?" Keldarion asked next after their laughter subsided. Legolas' smile instantly faded, his eyes filled with sorrow. Keldarion clearly noticed this. "What's wrong, Legolas? Has something happened to him?"

"Linden is dead," Legolas replied, still sad thinking about the previous commander of Thranduil's army. "He died saving my life, and father's. There had been a vicious takeover in the kingdom a year after you had been gone. One of the Mirkwood lords thought he deserved the throne more than father, so he tried to kill us both. He kept us captive in a burning cabin. Father and I might have joined mother in Mandos that day if not for Linden. He came just on time to drag father and me out of our fiery prison, but Linden himself had perished in the fire. The commander had sacrificed himself for us and the entire realm, Kel. And no, he never married."

Legolas glanced at his brother and found that Keldarion had turned deathly still on his mount, his eyes watering. "By the Valar…What else had I missed?" he heard Keldarion whisper brokenly.

"Oh. A _lot_," Legolas said teasingly as he reached over and clasped a comforting hand around his brother's arm. "Want to hear about my famous adventure during the War of The Ring? Or would you like to hear about Hawkeye? You still remember Hawkeye, don't you? My pet eagle. Well, actually, he is only _half_ eagle. He is also half human."

"Half man, half eagle?" Keldarion's eyes widened, surprise overcame his sadness. "_Hawkeye_?"

"His real name is Prince Gallard, now king to the realm of Tasqamaran. He is one of the legendary _shraqs_, a shape shifting human who can change into an eagle at his whim." Legolas smiled to see the great astonishment on his brother's features. "You should see him change forms. It was incredible."

Keldarion could only nod, still dumbfounded.

"Oh! I should also tell you about the time his enemy, the _draqs_, abducted me by mistake! They thought I was Gallard because we look quite alike, you know. When they realized their error, the _draqs_ had dropped me into the ocean! I had to swim for land for three full days. Thank the Valar that a ship from Dol Amroth was making rounds, or I could have reached Valinor by then, only to find that you weren't there."

Unable to speak because of his shock, Keldarion just blinked in respond.

Legolas continued to regale his brother with the stories from his many escapades, some were funny and yet some were downright horrifying. Keldarion was left laughing and fuming and crying in turns as he listened to Legolas' tales, wishing he had been there to get his younger brother out of his usual scrapes.

As Legolas talked, the ride continued on towards Ithilien.

#######################################################

Legolas had grown very quiet after a full day of riding.

Keldarion glanced across and saw that his brother was swaying in his seat. So anxious to get home, the stubborn younger prince had refused to take a brief respite like Keldarion had recommended an hour ago.

"I don't need to take a break! I can manage!" he had snapped in return when Keldarion suggested rest for the umpteenth time.

"You are exhausted and obviously not well!" Keldarion had retorted, staring worriedly at Legolas' white face. "Look at you. You are shivering."

"It's nothing! It's just the cold wind…" Legolas urged his mount faster forward, ending the discussion, leaving his elder brother to grit his teeth in exasperation.

Keldarion was planning to whack Legolas upside the head and knock him unconscious when his brother slowly tilted to one side, about to fall off his mount. Reacting quickly, Keldarion reached over and grabbed Legolas around the waist, pulling the younger elf in front of him.

Legolas instantly regained his senses. "Wha…?" he asked in a slurred voice, blinking dazedly.

"Hush, brother. All is well," said Keldarion, his arms wrapped firmly around Legolas to keep his brother in place.

"I…I'm able to ride…by myself," Legolas mumbled, looking around for his mount that trotted along behind them.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," Keldarion responded sarcastically. "Be still." He then frowned when he felt his brother shudder in his arms. Heat was coming from Legolas' skin, cold sweat peppering his forehead, an indication that his fever had returned with a vengeance.

"Go to sleep, Legolas. I'll get you home before you know it," Keldarion said and nudged his mount to take speed. The white mare instantly responded and broke into full gallop, a graceful blur against the wide span of the green opened meadow.

When they finally reached the walls of Ithilien keep a long while later, night had already fallen

Keldarion expertly reined in his mount before the closed gate, patting at the mare's neck soothingly. The horse snorted in reply, her front hoofs pawing at the dirt, clearly disappointed that her free run had come to an end. Legolas, meanwhile, was indifferent. In fact, he was completely out cold, his body still raged with burning fever.

"Hold!" A voice sounded from the parapet above the gate. "Who goes there?"

Keldarion had packed away his Haradrim disguise and now wore a simple riding cloak with the hood pulled over his head, but the attire still left him totally unrecognizable. He looked up and responded. "I'm a friend! I bring home your lord!"

There was a long stunned silence afterwards before Keldarion heard the sound of surprised mutterings from the wall.

"Who are you, stranger?" someone asked next, nearly causing the prince to lose his temper.

"Who I am is not important!" he snapped. "Prince Legolas is very ill and will not last longer if you tarry on like this, now let us enter!"

Several minutes later, the heavy doors of the gate steadily swung inwards with a slight gritting sound. Without waiting for the doors to fully open, Keldarion kicked at his mount and dashed inside. He cut through the stone-paved courtyard and stopped in front of the receiving terrace. Ignoring the gaping guards and servants around him, Keldarion quickly dismounted, pulling his brother into the cradle of his arms.

"Your lord's chamber," Keldarion curtly said to the nearest guard.

The elf instantly snapped to attention, pulling his widened eyes away from Legolas' pale face. "Right this way, sir," he responded. Keldarion followed after the warrior, paying no heed to the gasps of surprise and cries of joy around him as the Ithilien elves began to grow aware of their lord's sudden return.

The guard swiftly led him up a flight of stairs, through a long corridor and across a vast inner courtyard. Then they went up another flight of stairs before Keldarion found himself in a private wing of the keep. As they came to a door at the end of the hallway, the guard pushed it open and stepped aside to let Keldarion enter.

"The lord and lady's chamber," the guard informed him, but Keldarion no longer listened. He rushed to the big bed that stood in the middle of the room and gently put his brother down.

"Send word to Lady Narasene," Keldarion told the guard without looking up as he arranged Legolas to be more comfortable on the bed. "And get me some clean towels and a basin of water."

The guard left, leaving Keldarion to tend to his brother. As he brushed the sweat soaked hair off Legolas' face, the younger prince suddenly moaned, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ah…" Legolas breathed with a dazed smile. "Nice, warm bed…"

"I'm glad you approve." Keldarion grinned despite it all. "You are home, little brother. You are home and safe at last."

"Legolas!" A beautiful elven lady came running into the room just then, so swift and graceful on her feet even with the additional weight in her belly. She came to a halt beside the bed, her chest heaving and her green eyes sparkling.

Legolas' smile grew wider as he gazed lovingly at his wife. "Hello, Nara."

Narasene snapped back, "Don't you _hello_ me, you oaf! Where in Arda have you been? Don't you know how worried I was?"

Then she promptly burst into tears and threw herself into her husband's arms. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't mean to sound so ungrateful…I'm very glad you've returned…Oh, darling, I've been so worried…Thank the Valar you are home…"

"Hush, my dear," Legolas crooned to her, stroking her long fine hair. "Everything's fine now. All is well. And I'm also glad to see that our child is still in your womb. I would be devastated to miss its birth."

Narasene chuckled through her tears. "And I would be disappointed to miss the panic look on your face when it finally comes."

Legolas laughed and kissed her lips. And then he caught sight of someone standing so still in the doorway. "Father?"

Thranduil needed no further urgings. He rushed forward to sit on the other side of the bed, pulling Legolas out of Narasene's arms into his embrace. "My son!" he exclaimed, almost choking with tears. "What had you gotten into this time? We have searched for you _everywhere_ but to no success! Oh, Valar! Don't scare me like that again!"

Legolas' face crumbled and he started to sob. "Forgive me for worrying you yet again, father. I was stupid, I know. But I'm home, now. And I swear I won't worry you ever again."

"And the wargs will fly!" Thranduil responded, hugging his son tighter as Narasene watched with tearful smile. "You worried me constantly since the day you discovered you have two feet, you silly elfling!"

The other person near the bed chuckled at that. "I believe I had to agree with you on that, my lord. He has been a pain in my backside since the day he was born, that's for sure."

Thranduil and Narasene looked up toward the heavy cloaked stranger who had been standing in the background all the while.

"You are the one who brought Legolas here," Thranduil stated with a curious frown. "Who are you, sir? You claimed to know my son very well."

Keldarion had to swallow the huge lump in his throat before he could reply. "I also know _you_ very well, my lord. Very well, indeed."

As Legolas observed with a secretive smile, Keldarion tugged the hood off his head and gaze directly at the elven king. "Hello, father."****

**TBC…**


	11. 11

**The grand finale is here!**

**######################################################**

Thranduil's mouth dropped open, his eyes widening in great surprise. Narasene was heard gasping out loud behind him.

Keldarion painfully swallowed and tried again, "My dear father, it _is_ me."

"Kel…Keldarion?" The king's eyes were quickly filled with fresh tears as he stared at his eldest son whom he thought had left Middle-earth for good. _Valar__! How does he come to be here?_

With a choked cry, Keldarion dropped to his knees and buried his face in Thranduil's lap. "Forgive me, father! Please forgive me…I have wronged you all these years…I'm so sorry…"

"Wait...my son…" Thranduil cupped Keldarion's chin and tipped his son's face until their identical blue eyes met. He scrutinized every inch of the handsome beloved features he had sorely missed, completely mesmerized. "This is truly you? _Keldarion_?"

"Yes. I am." The prince weakly nodded, his heart assailed with guilt and shame. He grabbed his father's hands and brought them to his lips. "Father, I…I never sailed to Valinor. I was here all along."

There was a long tense silence following that as Thranduil stared deeply into Keldarion's tormented eyes, mulling over the prince's words. His son had to run his gaze away, deeply perturbed.

When Keldarion opened his mouth to further explain, Thranduil quickly placed his fingers over the prince's lips. "Hush, now. This is not the time for you to open up old wounds, whatever that may be. Just let me tell you how glad I am that you've returned to me, to _us_. Oh, Keldarion, I've missed you so much!"

Keldarion was instantly pulled into his father's massive hug. Thranduil repeatedly kissed his cheeks and temple, murmuring over and over, "My son…my son…I've been blessed, to have _both_ of you returned to me this day…Ai, I've been blessed…"

Legolas clutched his wife's hand as, together, they watched the heart wrenching scene between the king and his long lost heir. His own tears flowing down his cheeks, Legolas pulled Narasene against his side, his other hand lazily stroking her swollen belly.

"Father, that's not fair," Legolas finally said in a mock indignation a long while later. "Why did you yell at me but not at him?"

Thranduil and Keldarion reluctantly pulled apart, brushing their tears away. With a chuckle, Thranduil reached over and ruffled Legolas' hair. "I will yell at him later. In fact, _both_ of you need to be yelled at! You two have _huge_ explaining to do. But, first, we should tend to you, Legolas. You don't look too good."

"I'm fine!" Legolas claimed with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, of course!" Keldarion voiced out with a grin as he got to his feet. "That's why you almost fell off your horse just now!"

Legolas scowled and settled himself deeper into the pillows. His father was quite right, though. He didn't _feel_ too good. Somehow, he felt so icy cold he just couldn't stop shivering, yet his skin burned as if he were on fire. It was kind of strange to feel both hot and cold at the same time. He could do nothing about it but to stoically bear it down until it faded away, cursing hotly at the Easterlings all the while for putting him in such a position in the first place.

The servants then appeared with towels and water, as well as some healing herbs and medicinal salves. Thranduil instructed them to put the supplies on the bedside table within Narasene's easy reach. The lady of the keep had insisted to tend to her husband on her own—an excuse to have him all for herself.

Smiling understandingly, Thranduil leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Take care of my stubborn son, my precious daughter."

Narasene just smiled in respond as she began to soak a towel in the basin. The king bent over Legolas' next and kissed his brow. "Listen to your wife," he sternly said.

Legolas grinned stupidly. "No problem. I was born to obey," he cheekily replied, eliciting laughter from his brother and father, and a narrowed gaze from Narasene.

Thranduil then straightened and reached for Keldarion's wrist. "And _you_, come with me. I'm now ready to yell at you."

The two brothers exchanged rueful grins as Thranduil pulled his eldest son out of the room. The servants also followed after them, and Legolas was finally left alone with his wife. The moment he heard the clicking sound of the closing door, Legolas grabbed Narasene's arm and yanked her down. "Nara!"

Narasene yelped in surprise as she landed on the mattress right next to her husband, the damp towel dropped from her hand to land with a plop on the floor. "Legolas…your fever…"

"Can wait," he cut her off, his fingers already buried in her hair. He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her fervently like never before, pouring out his wild longing for her that he had kept bottle inside him for so long.

"Nara…Nara, my love…" he whispered, his eyes tightly shut, pressing her closer to kiss the delectable skin of her collarbone. Narasene moaned in respond, trailing kisses all over his face, his ears, his neck. Her hands roamed all over his upper body, feeling the need to touch him to assure herself that he had truly come home.

When they came up for air a while later, both were breathing heavily, their faces flushed. Legolas lay panting on his back, his eyes slightly glazed. Narasene giggled when he reached for her once more. "Oh, no, my lord," she swatted his hands away. "You are delirious and seriously wounded. Looking at you, I know that you are still in pain."

"I'm in pain, all right, but definitely _not_ from my wounds," he said with a roguish grin, causing her to blush deep red.

"Enough, my husband," she said and turned to soak a fresh towel in the basin. "You need your rest. And I need to bring down your fever."

When she tenderly ran the damp cloth against his face and neck, Legolas sighed deeply with his eyes closed, writhing and barely able to keep himself from purring. "My lady, what are you doing to me? You are only keeping my heat up!"

Narasene chuckled, pleased that her ministrations had aroused him so much. But when she began to undo the buttons of his shirt, his eyes flew open. He caught her hands, stilling her.

"Legolas?" She looked at him, puzzled and slightly disconcerted to see his changed expression. It was as if he was scared and ashamed about something.

Legolas had to swallow before he could speak. "Don't look, Nara. It's not pretty."

With a soft smile, she pried his hands away and continued to unbutton his shirt. "But you are always pretty to me, my lord. Always."

Legolas raised himself slightly to help her peeled the damp shirt off him. He turned his face to one side as Narasene stared at the cuts and bruises all over his chest and arms. When she gently rolled him over onto his side, he could hear the small cry of dismay that escaped her mouth.

"Oh, my love…" Narasene bit her lips, staring through watery eyes at the painful looking welts and lashes covering his back. She leaned down and gently kissed the torn skin. "You are so beautiful, my husband. Broken and battered, but beautiful nonetheless."

Legolas' own eyes misted when he felt Narasene's cool tears against the heated skin of his back. He slowly reached over to grasp her hand, bringing it to his lips, kissing her fingertips. Then he clutched her hand to his chest, next to his heart.

Narasene ran a gentle hand through his golden hair, stroking his head lovingly, and watched quietly as his eyes drooped before he drifted into exhausted sleep.

################################

It was almost midnight when soft knockings sounded at the door.

Narasene dropped her knitting and glanced at Legolas. Assured that he was deeply asleep, she kissed him briefly on the temple and got off the bed. When she opened the door, she saw Keldarion standing outside, about to turn to leave. "Yes, my lord?"

The prince smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Nara. Did I wake you up?"

Narasene shook her head and let him inside. "No, my lord. I'm still awake, watching over him," she softly replied, gesturing at her sleeping husband.

Keldarion quietly approached the bed and stared down at his brother. Legolas lay on his side, one arm flung across the pillow while the other disappeared beneath the sheet that covered him to his bare shoulders. His golden mane was tousled, slightly damp from his perspiration. His eyes firmly closed, the long eyelashes forming beautiful crescents on his pale skin.

_The fever's down_, Keldarion thought in relief as he felt his brother's forehead with the back of his hand.

"His sleep was fitful at first, as if he were having nightmares," Narasene said. "But he calmed down when his fever broke."

Keldarion turned and smiled at his sister-in-law. "Thank you, Nara, for tending to him. He looks to be improving already."

She shyly dropped her gaze. "He is my husband. It's my duty to do so."

"And he is my little brother." Keldarion reached up and tipped up her chin. "It's not duty that bound us to him, Nara, but love. Again, I thank you, for being there for him while I was not. You've given him back his life and his soul. And for that I'm forever grateful that he found you."

She blushed at his words. Gazing at Legolas' serene face, she couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes. "What happened to him, my lord? Why are there so many wounds on his body?"

Keldarion took her hand and helped her to on the couch near the hearth. He added some kindling into the flame before he took his seat beside her. "He didn't tell you?"

"He hasn't the opportunity," she replied. "He went out like a light before I even finished bathing down his fevered skin." Keeping her death grip on Keldarion's hand, she asked again, "What have been done to him?"

Keldarion squeezed her hand. "I can't go into details, Nara. It's better if he explain it to you himself. All I can say is that he has been kept as a slave in an Easterlings village for the entire month he went missing, laboring for the people day and night."

Narasene's eyes went wide. "A _slave_? My husband?" Then her jade green eyes drew to a slit, glinting brilliantly with burning fury. "Why, those ungrateful humans! Those filthy, good-for-nothing creatures!"

"My thought exactly," Keldarion said with a grin. "But don't let Aragorn hear you say this or he will be quite offended. He is a human too, you know."

Narasene jumped to her feet and started to pace, back and forth. "I'll kill them! I'll kill those Easterlings!" she hissed, her lovely face glowing from her anger.

"I've already did, my lady," Keldarion said, starting to grow dizzy at her movements.

"Did you leave any of them for me?" She rounded on him with a glare.

Keldarion had to stifle his laughter. "Some. The women and children mostly."

Her hands fisted at her sides. "Good enough for me. Now they can be _my_ slaves!"

"You don't mean that, Nara."

"Oh, yes I do!" she cried out, and quickly glanced at Legolas, afraid that her voice had wakened him up. When her husband continued to sleep, undisturbed, she sighed and plopped back down on the couch next to Keldarion. Burying her face in her hands, she began to cry. "I thought he was dead. Valar, I thought he would never return to me…"

Keldarion pulled her against his side, kissing her temple. "He _has_ returned, Nara. See? He is there on that bed, dreaming beautiful dreams about you. And he will live on. He will recover, like always."

Sniffing, wiping tears off her eyes, she looked up at her brother-in-law. "And what about you, my brother? Will _you_ recover?"

Keldarion blinked when the tables were suddenly turned on him. _Cunning Nara, just like that stubborn husband of hers!_

Narasene gazed into his eyes and saw that they were red and swollen, probably from a lot of crying. It looked as if his long talk with his father had reopened many wounds, tearing up old scars, unearthed suppressed nightmares.

_Even 'Keldarion the protector' needs to be protected_, her maternal heart was saying, so she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Whatever it was that you've gone through, my lord, please know that you have my complete support and trust. Also know that you now have a sister, a sister that loves you and cares for you, a sister that will laugh and cry with you. I might not be a good wrestling partner like Legolas for you to vent out your frustrations, but I'm very good at listening if you want to talk about whatever thing that bothers you."

With a brittle smile, Keldarion pulled her into her arms. "I know, my sister. Thank you. For everything."

She smiled against his chest, noticing the distinctive scent of his that was not so different from her husband's. They were almost alike, these two brothers, but also the complete opposite to each other. One was dark while the other was fair, one was levelheaded while the other was short-tempered, one was logical while the other was impulsive. Still, these differences were the things that matched them perfectly together, making them compatible in whatever they did. They supplied the strength for the other's weaknesses, the balance for the imbalance, the fillings for the gaps. No wonder their bond remained strong and sure, even after years of separation.

Narasene suddenly gasped out loud. Keldarion pulled away, startled. "What is it, Nara? Are you all right?"

She was clutching her belly. "The…the baby…"

Keldarion's face drained of all color. "Are you…are you going into labor? Right _now_?"

Narasene looked at the stricken expression on his face and burst into giggles. Keldarion blinked. "What?"

"I'm fine, my lord." She laughed harder. "The baby just kicked me, is all."

"Oh." Keldarion's shoulders slumped in great relief. He couldn't wait to be an uncle, but not _that_ fast! "Thank the Valar for that. I would not know what to do."

Smiling, Narasene reached for his hands and placed his palms against her swollen belly. "Feel this? It's kicking again."

Legolas had yelled with delight the first time he felt his baby kick. Keldarion, meanwhile, had a look of intense rapture and wonder on his face. And then he frowned. "Wait a minute…there's two…two heartbeats."

He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "_Twins_?"

Narasene beamed, nodding eagerly. "Yes."

Keldarion's smile grew wider. "Does _he_ know?"

She glanced at the still sleeping Legolas and giggled conspiratorially. "No, he has not realized it yet. And I'm keeping it a secret. I want to surprise him."

Keldarion laughed out loud. "Oh, he definitely _will_! In fact, I think he's going to freak out!"

When their laughter subsided, he gently pulled her close and pressed his lips against her forehead. "I think you had better get some sleep. I shouldn't have kept you up so late."

"Oh, but I'm fine…"

"No buts." Keldarion stood and pulled Narasene to her feet. He steered her towards the bed. "Go lie down beside your husband. He needs you, as much as you need him."

Before he walked out of the room, Keldarion paused at the door and gazed adoringly at her. "Good night, dear sister."

"Good night, my lord."

After Keldarion had left, Narasene focused her attention back to Legolas. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, the rising color on his cheeks, the slight curling of his hair around his left ear. With gentle hand, she brushed the locks away and stroked his head. "Good night, dear husband," she whispered, leaning over to plant a tender kiss on his lips.

With a soft sigh, she lay down on her side behind him, spoon fashion, hugging his bare back to her full breast and swollen belly—their unborn babies nestled between them, still kicking.

She joined Legolas in his dreams not long after.

##################################

Still bedridden, Legolas had just finished his light breakfast a day later when two identical looking elves burst into the room without knocking.

"Legolas!" Elladan son of Elrond cried out, rushing towards the bed.

"Legolas!" echoed his twin, Elrohir.

The prince grinned as the Rivendell brothers grabbed him, crushing him in their exuberance embrace. The twins were so excited that they jumped over each other in their speech.

"We just heard that you have returned!"

"Estel has called for our help to look for you!"

"But we couldn't find you even though we've searched for you everywhere!"

"We came here as soon as we received the missive from Nara."

"Estel and his entourage are right behind us. That human rides so slow that we had to ditch him in the middle of the way!"

"Where the heck have you been?"

"What happened to you?"

"How did you get home?"

"Did someone rescue you?"

"Wait! Wait! One question at a time!" Legolas was laughing so hard he almost burst his stomach. "Uh…good to see the two of you, too."

"Oh, Legolas…" The twins pulled Legolas into their arms once more. "Will you stop worrying us like this? This is becoming a habit, you know."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry." Legolas grinned back at them. "What can I say? Troubles seem to follow me anywhere I go. It's in my blood."

"We were ready to panic when we couldn't find you after a week you went missing," Elrohir said, frowning at the abrasions that were still visible around Legolas' wrists. "Our grandfather even suggested that we look for you in Tasqamaran, thinking that the _shraqs_ had captured you once more. But your friend Gallard told us that he had not seen you for many months. Where _were_ you?"

Legolas grimaced. "In an Easterings village near the border of Gondor. They kept there me as their slave. Hey, you want me to do your laundry? Now I know how to get rid of the stubborn stains on the clothing. You only need to put some lemon or sprinkle some loose powder on it," he said, half joking.

The twins' frowns grew deeper. "Legolas, that's not funny," Elladan said, noticing the calluses and blisters on Legolas' hands.

Legolas shrugged. "I know it's not, but it's still a good knowledge. Nara even thanked me for telling her that tip."

"You still didn't answer our question," Elrohir remarked. "Who rescued you?"

"I did."

The twins turned at the voice. They had not realized that someone else was standing outside on the balcony, enjoying the morning scenery. Elladan and Elrohir rose and steadily approached the tall, raven haired person whose back was to them, hands clasped behind him. His graceful stance, his regal posture, even the soft fall of his long hair was incredibly familiar that something sparked inside both twins.

Keldarion slowly turned, and smiled back at them. "Hello, Ell, Ro. Nice to see you two again."

And that familiar smile, from that very familiar face, and that very, _very_ familiar voice.

The twins gasped. And blinked. And blinked again, completely speechless.

It took almost an eternity later when Elladan finally stirred. He pinched his brother's arm.

"Ow!" Elrohir cried out, rubbing the smarting spot. "What did you do that for?!"

"Did you feel the pain?"

"Of course, I did! It hurts, blast it!"

"Then you are not dreaming."

"No, of course I'm not. But why did you…?" Elrohir's eyes widened. "Oh, Valar…K…Kel? _Keldarion_?"

Keldarion grinned. "The last time I checked, yes, that _is_ my name." He stepped forward, gripping his friends' shoulders. "What? No hugs for me?"

"KEL!!" The twins screamed in delight and threw their arms around the prince, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Ai, this is so unreal!" Elrohir gushed, tears streaming down his face.

"How could this be possible?" Elladan asked next, staring in disbelief at Keldarion, up and down. "Aren't you supposed to be in Valinor?"

"He didn't get there," Legolas supplied from the bed, smiling back at them.

"It's a long story," Keldarion said when the twins frowned at him. "I'll tell you all about it later."

Narasene entered the room just then, followed by a tall handsome man with great anxiety on his face.

"Legolas, Lord Aragorn is here to see you," said Legolas' wife, coming to her husband's side.

Aragorn was heard grumbling under his breath as he sent a cursory glare at the twins. "I hate it when you did that, you oafs. Can you believe it, Legolas? They sped away, leaving me behind to eat their dust!"

The king of Gondor leaned over and embraced his friend. "I'm so glad that you've returned, safe and sound. You worried me, Legolas. Ai! I should have knocked you on the head that day! Blast it! Why didn't you listen to me?! Now, you've done it, brother. No more lone ride for you as long as I…"

Aragorn suddenly grew absolutely still. He turned his head slowly and stared at the tall elf standing between the twins. His eyes widened, his mouth dropping open. His feet moving at their own accord, Aragorn walked towards the three elves.

"By the Valar…" the man breathed. "Are my eyes telling me lies? Is it truly you, Kel?"

Keldarion nodded, clasping the man's shoulder. "It is, Estel. Truly."

Aragorn shook his head in wonder. "Then this is truly a day to celebrate," he said at last, smiling wide before hugging Keldarion tight. "Our circle is once again complete!"

With a laugh, Keldarion hugged the man back, pulling the twins to the bed to include Legolas into their circle. Narasene watched in amusement as the five males continued to laugh and cry and laugh again, slapping one another's back, trading insults back and forth, like the way they used to do together many, many years ago.

She was still smiling at the scene when she felt something wet suddenly run down her legs. She took a look, and her smile froze.

"Uh…Legolas?" she called out timidly, her voice sounded so small among their hoots of laughter, but Legolas heard her.

"Yes, Nara?" he asked, still grinning, not looking so ill anymore after a full day's of rest and a joyful reunion with his friends.

"I think my water just broke."

All the males went silent for a full second. Then everybody spoke at once.

"She's about to have the baby!"

"Lie down here, Nara!"

"What should we do?"

"Get the midwives!"

"Tell the servants to boil the water!"

Everyone also made a grab for Narasene, but it was Keldarion who reached her first. He picked her up and settled her gently beside Legolas on the bed, pulling the coverlet over the mound of her stomach. The twins were already out the door, yelling for help—acting the same way they did every time their sister, Arwen, was about to deliver her baby.

Narasene was deeply amused at their panicked reaction. "No need to be alarm. The babies won't come until hours later. There are still time."

"_Time_?" Legolas was incredibly paled as he gripped his wife's hand. "We don't have time! The baby is coming!"

"Actually, my love, the babies _are_ coming," she said, running a finger down Legolas' cheek. "Notice the plural?"

Legolas stared, dumfounded, while Keldarion and Aragorn were busily making Narasene as comfortable as possible on the bed, propping pillows behind her head and back, brushing away her long hair and twisted it into a knot on top of her head.

"What do you mean, _babies_?" Legolas managed to croak the question, watching her face closely.

Narasene gave him a tender smile. "I have to tell you now before you totally freak out, my dear. We are going to have twins."

At that, Legolas gulped. Aragorn went still. Keldarion beamed.

"T…twins?" Legolas blinked stupidly.

"Yes." Narasene nodded, watching anxiously as the blood drained off her husband's face.

"You mean…just like Ell and Ro?" Legolas asked again, his ears ringing.

"I think so, if they were identical." Narasene was frowning now. Legolas really didn't look too good. "Uh…my lord? Aren't you happy?"

Weakly nodding, Legolas numbly smiled. "Oh, yes. I'm very happy…"

But then, his eyes rolled and he dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

##########################

When Legolas came to a couple of hours later, he was puzzled to find himself stretched out on the long couch, his head resting on his father's lap. Then everything rushed into him at once. He jerked upright, his eyes wild. "Nara!"

Chuckling, Thranduil wrapped a comforting arm around his son's shoulders. "She's fine, Legolas. Your wife is well. And so are your sons."

Bemused, Legolas snapped his gaze back to his father. "_Sons_?"

"Yes, brother." Keldarion suddenly appeared in his vision. "You have two very healthy twin boys. They are right there, in the crib beside the bed."

On rubber-like legs, Legolas stood and walked towards the said crib. Two elven babies lay side by side within the folds of soft blankets, deeply asleep. One baby was dark haired like his beautiful mother and handsome uncle, while the other had a wild tuft of gold-colored mane on his head, just like his still-dazed father and still-jumping-up-with-joy grandfather.

Legolas' knees buckled and he would have landed ungracefully on the floor if not for his brother's arms, barely able to catch him in time.

"Legolas!" Keldarion exclaimed, laughter in his voice. "You are not going to faint on us again, are you?"

With a wan shake of his head, Legolas mumbled, "I have sons. Not one, but _two_. Ai. How did this happen?"

Thranduil and Keldarion exchanged amused looks as they helped Legolas sit on the bed. "I think you at least know how these two were _created_," the elven king glibly responded with a grin.

Legolas scowled, growing pink. "Very funny."

He then turned to his wife who lay asleep on the bed, looking so serene and lovely. Tenderly, he touched her face and leaned down to kiss her lips. She instantly stirred, saw him, and gave him a tired smile. "Hello, husband," she said. And then, teasingly, she added, "You've missed the birthing."

Smiling sheepishly, he stroked the side of her face. "Forgive me, my dear. I guess I'm still not ready for another 'adventure'."

She chuckled, reaching up to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear. "At least, I got to see your panicked face."

With a laugh, Legolas leaned over and kissed her again, long and passionate. Then he reluctantly straightened. "Sleep, my dear. I love you."

"I love you too," she quietly muttered and slowly faded into the land of dreams.

Legolas felt a warm hand on his back. He turned and saw his father gazing back at him.

"Come, Legolas, let's get something warm for you to drink. You don't look so hot," Thranduil suggested, pulling his youngest son out of the room. Still numb, Legolas could only follow wordlessly, barely aware as Keldarion trailed behind them, closing the door quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping mother and her newborn babies.

The elven king led his sons downstairs towards the parlor. Aragorn and the twins were sitting near the hearth with Beregund, Legolas' second in command. Faramir, who had just arrived from Emyn Arnen, was also there, still clad in his riding cloak. They all stood when the royal family walked in.

"Legolas!" they cried out excitedly, rushing forward to slap the new father on his back, congratulating him exuberantly.

"So, how does it feel?" Aragorn asked with a knowing grin.

Legolas still looked like he just recovered from a big shock. "Er…weird. But I'll live."

At that, the others broke up laughing.

"Wait till the boys grow up," Faramir supplied. "You might think you live in bedlam! My own boys constantly drive me crazy!"

"I had to agree to that." Thranduil nodded, glancing meaningfully at his two grown sons. "These two constantly drive me crazy too, to _this_ day!"

They all burst into laughter again, Legolas included. Then Elladan came closer and asked, "Legolas, what are you going to name them?"

Legolas blinked uncomprehendingly. "Name?"

Keldarion, meanwhile, had a look of horror on his face. "Oh, no. I don't think that's a smart idea. Legolas is hopeless when giving names! Just look at his blasted pets!"

The twins were chortling, recalling how un-creative Legolas had been in naming the animals that he kept under his wing. "That's right!" Elrohir gushed. "I'm not surprised if he calls his sons 'Baby-Number-One' and 'Baby-Number-Two'!"

"Or call them 'Black' and 'Gold', referring to the color of their hair!" Elladan added, much to the others' great amusement.

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm not _that_ bad," he complained.

After their laughter subsided, Thranduil asked, "Seriously, Legolas, your sons need to have names. Or have Nara decided on any?"

Legolas grew silent for a while as he contemplated. "Nara and I had discussed about our child's name before this. If we had a son, we want to call him…" He looked up and stared directly at his father and brother before continuing, "We want to call him Linden."

Hearing that, Thranduil's eyes instantly misted, deeply touched. Keldarion smiled reminiscently. "That's a good name, Legolas," he said. "A good strong name."

"Commander Linden would be so honored," Thranduil said next, squeezing Legolas' shoulder. "But you have two sons. What are you going to call the other one?"

"I'm calling the black-haired one Linden. As for the golden-haired…" Legolas paused and gazed straight at Keldarion. "I'm going to call him Hadrian, Kel, after your late good friend."

Keldarion blinked, surprised and pleased. "Really, Legolas?"

Legolas nodded. "Hadrian was a great warrior, and a very faithful friend to you. He died in the line of duty protecting you, protecting us. If the wild boar that I had shot didn't ram into him that day, he might still be with us, joining our circle. Linden and Hadrian had not had the chance to sail for Valinor, but at least my sons will carry their names there."

There was not a single dry eye in that room after Legolas' words. Everyone nodded, agreed with Legolas' choice of names for his sons.

"And I'm sure your sons will grow up to be great warriors like they were, Legolas," Aragorn said, patting his friend's back.

"And be a pair of famous twins, just like _us_!" Elrohir added, nudging his own twin with a grin.

"And be a pair of wild mischievous children, just like one elfling I know," Keldarion supplied, also grinning.

"And turned my hair grey along the way!" said Thranduil next. "Or maybe red."

They were still laughing several minutes later as they proceeded to have their afternoon tea, the atmosphere filled with happiness as they celebrated the born of two new life.

Putting down his empty cup, Faramir suddenly asked, "Legolas, what is this I hear about your abduction? Is it true? Did you really were bested by a pack of _mere_ children?"

Legolas blushed in embarrassment. He was definitely not going to hear the end of this. "Well, what can I say? I was stupid."

"You still _are_," Keldarion stated, causing the others to break into roaring laughter all over again.

Meanwhile, in the lord and lady's chamber above, little Linden fidgeted. His eyes opened, burning bright silver just like his father's. Little Hadrian also stirred, turning to stare at his brother with his mother's jade-green eyes.

Discovering each other, both elven babies then smiled.

**THE END**

**There goes another one! I'm glad I'm able to finish it, as busy and harassed as I still am. I'm so very thankful to all the readers out there who have been so patient with me all this time, faithfully giving me supports and suggestions, bravely hanging on to those unmerciful cliffies I put up on every chapters (You bet I'll make more cliffies after this! He! He!). A simple 'Thank You' doesn't seem to be enough, but that is all I can give so THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!!!!**

**And these are the names who brightened up my day every time I checked my mailbox—the reviewers! Here they are in alphabetical order: Abbicat14; Aearon; Althelas; Aranel of Mirkwood; astalder27; beginning end 314; Brazgirl; Coolio02; Deana ; DemonHorsePaulie; Dur En Thurin Naur; Effigy; Elven Lady Nilturiel; Emily; Enigma Jade; Fairylady; Fire Breathing Ferret; Fondued Jicama; fordomegan; Gozilla; Gwyn; HissoriOokami; Hp-Azn; inari; Irish Anor; Isarandel; Ishyzu; Jamie; Joee1; Jubisaurus; Julia Moore; Kitty; Karina; Kayo; Kiraya525; Kitty; Kuro Kyoko; Lady Lenna; Lani; layla146; Legolas Garden Light; Legolas Greenleaf; LegolasLover2003; leralonde; Lil Goddess Thalia; LishaChan; Lisseyelen aka Lady V; Lucy; Manders1953; Mellaithwen; Mirkwood Queen; mogcat; MoroTheWolfGod; Musicstarlover; Mystkyten; Nikki1; othrilis; Pheraearwen; phyddie; princessoferynlasgalen91; Rabid Reviewer; Rae132; Sailor Elf; ScottyBaby; selena; SeventhSpanishAngel12; Slea; Snow Glory; Star Stallion; szhismine; TaniaNZ; Tauron; tbiris; Tica; Tree Huhhin Hippie; Trista; vampy2k; Young Storyteller (And I think there's more name that I might have forgotten, you are so many! I truly hope no one is left out so please tell me if it is so!).**

**COMING ATTRACTIONS : I can almost hear the questions playing in your minds right now. Will Keldarion caught the last man who violated him? How about his past love with Arwen? Will he try to win her heart once more, or will he find somebody else? And what about Legolas? How does he fare as a father? A good one? A bad one? Or a totally _clueless_ one? LOL! These questions will be answered in my next fic. I won't disclose the title yet, so just wait and see!**

**Till we meet again, mellons! Go to go!**


End file.
